Here are some pictures from the Scotland trip....

Serving as a background to me is the famous Scott monument

I was allowed to take just one landscape picture.....blame it on Han! 

Han on top of the Camera-Obscura.....with the city of Edinburgh as a back drop 

here goes what?

Its been a busy, busy....very busy week.
Difficulties you face in a flight [specially a long distance flight] : kids, babies crying out loud...screaming until their throat breaks out and so does one's eardrum. Nothing against kids [I was one too] but I just hate it soo when they yell and scream and shout and what not [this when the journey is already tiresome]
When you step out of the flight : make sure your folks are there to pick you up on time [this one, when you are living in a city like Bangalore and when the flight arrives at 9:00 in the morning]. My dad's a bit lazy...infact too lazy that he woke up late in the morning, left home at 8:15 and reached the airport at 9:45. Me, with all my smiles brocaded on my very happy face, run out of the flight, past the immigration....vrrommm...vroooom....and what happened? Sudden breaks!! Nobody there....none at alll. With so much anticipation, I'm sure I looked like a fool with disappointment flooding my face :(( I tell myself "'Okay now....all is well...all you need is a warm hug? but where from?Mi's not here.. ok...hug yourself. You know how bad the traffic in Bangalore is!'" I wait and wait....pull out my handphone to call my dad...but hey... the cell phone needs time to get track of the network..I make my way through the crowd....voices ringing into my ear "Madam, do u want a car?... Taxi ready ide madam...yellige hogbeku madam?" One guy even tries to free my hands from the luggage I was carrying...another says "You must be Jyothi, how are you beti?"......what crap!! I'm Archana and my parents will be here anytime, thank you! I see a telephone booth to my right...I pull myself together and head towards the phone....I call my Dad...his phone is busy! I call my Mi....but she's just changed her number and I dont have the new one with me. I call home and my brother picks up the phone...."they'll be there any minute" he says. Relieved, I wait for them, not forgetting that I've got to pay the lady 4 rupees for the phone. Finally Dad, my Mi, and my step mom come pick me up.....another ray of disappointment.....where are all the other people? Everytime I was here, there were atleast 14/15 people to pick me...

What did I do after coming here? Meeting lots and lots of people.....watching lots and lots of movies :D Eating lots and lots of spicy and greasy food....I've put on 2 or 3 kilos and I feel so damn hot cos of all that I've eaten. Phew...
Alay Payuthey was the last Tamil movie I saw. I was pulled out to watch Anniyan and Chandramukhi.

Anniyan - 'tell me your dreams' adaptation.
1. why did they name the movie Anniyan? The character 'Anniyan' is so very weak. Nevertheless, Vikram was good...loved Ambi's cute face whenever he went "wooaa.....koamaaari...." and R E M O for his stylish rampwalking and hiphop moves. He did it with utter perfection :D

2.The stadium scene with Anniyan made no sense to me at all.

Chandramukhi - a copy of Aapthamithra- a Kannada movie starring Vishnuvardhan and Ramesh Aravind [this one is a copy too]
1. copy-imperfect?? I seriously think the Kannada version of the movie was much much much better.
2. There was no need to bring in extra characters into the movie
3. Soundarya [filmfare best actress] was superb in the movie
4. Rajnikanth is old [no offence meant, I respect him for all his achievements]

But all in all.....movies are made for entertainment and these two movies I enjoyed thoroughly.

So much to blog about....but this one's long enough

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!

Ooops...I'm sorry I said that!

Hypocrisy and double standards to the core-
If US President's cat can be named INDIA, if the avatars of Hindu Gods and Godesses can be printed on shoes and t-shirts that are nothing but misused in pubs and on beaches, then why not call America the middle finger? It is of the same magnitude.....I'm not anti-American but whats taken has to be given back. Just as they said....it all depends on the way you take it :P

"Following my remarks to the graduating class of Columbia University's Business School in New York City, I have come to realize that my words and examples about America unintentionally depicted our country negatively and hurt people.

I appreciate the honest comments that have been shared with me since then, and am deeply sorry for offending anyone. I love America unshakably -- without hesitation -- and am extremely grateful for the opportunities and support our great nation has always provided me.

"Over the years I've witnessed and advised others how a thoughtless gesture or comment can hurt good, caring people. Regrettably, I've proven my own point. Please accept my sincere apologies."-- Indra Nooyi

If this is the explanation she provided after the speech, if she's taken back what she'd said earlier, then I take back my support too! If Mrs.Indra is not standing by what she said, then the woman is a hypocrite [sorry Ma'm ...I did not mean to offend or hurt you too!! Uh....what the hell?!?!!] Apparently, some narrow minded Americans have decided to boycott the purchase of any Pepsi co's products until she's fired. And I say what? She must be fired because she's not ready to stand by her own words! Just when I was thinking 'she's made me proud'....

Indra Nooyi's thoughts

It has made headlines in the blogosphere, not much in the newspapers. Wonder if people really lent their ear to this. If you havent read it already then read it here. I second her speech. She could'nt have put it in a better way. 'A thorn can be removed by a thorn itself' - goes the saying in a regional language. What better way to talk to Americans [you can also include Britons here] than to rely on their very own 'middle finger' policy?
CHEERS TO MRS. NOOYI-ONE GUTSY WOMAN!!

BTW, We found a house!! So cheers to Han and Me as well - two tolerant girls!

This you have to read!!

Two young girls, both outsiders, looking for a house to move in....me and Han. We saw an advertisement at our University and contacted the landlady of a house by email....this is what I wrote in the email...


Hi,

We were looking for a self contained flat for the two
of us who are students at the University. We found the
advertisement on the Unipol website where we found some
information about the flat.
There would mainly be two of us living together. One
of our parents will also be staying with us
temporarily for 6 months. We insist that we take a
look at the flat since we are interested in it. Please
let us know of the availibility of the flat. If the
flat is available, kindly also let us know when we can
drop in to have a look.

Thank you,

Archana and Han

NOW YOU KNOW HAN IS A CHINESE GIRL AND WE BOTH LIVE IN THE SAME FLAT

Here's what the land-lady replied....



Dear Archana and Han,

Thank you for your enquiry.

Are you husband and wife undertaking study at the University of
Bradford? [HUSBAND AND WIFE?? Excuse me, but we both happen to be from different countries...Oh well actually, both of us are GIRLS!!!!] What course are you studying and what department
are
you studying in?[We both happen to be a close aid of Osama Bin Laden and we were interested to know how you beings maintain peace and harmony. Thus we are studying peace studies at the peace studies department] What are the start date and end date of your studies?[as if you care...]
What date are you looking to rent accommodation from and what date are
you
expecting to rent too? [We can move in this minute......if you dont mind] Is it possible to state why you would be looking
for
a parent to be accommodated with you for a 6 months period temporarily
as
this is a most unusual request? [unusual?? A mother visiting her 18 year old daughter is definitely UNUSUAL in your country ma'm!!] Where would your parent be arriving
from
and where would they be departing too once the 6 month period has
passed? [She figured out that Iraq would be a safer place to live...so she would migrate from India to Iraq]

Are you both visiting Bradford at present?[Oh yes, we are visiting Bradford beacuse we were kicked out of our countries] Is your parent their too? [Yes, they were sent out too]
If,
so, how long will you be looking for to visit Bradford to find
accommodation?[Have some mercy on the two homeless and countryless girls. We want to stay forever.....is that a problem?? ] If not, are you already residing in Bradford and if so
who
is your current landlord and when does your contract end and has your
parent
being accommodated at present too? [No, actually no-one provided us shelter....so we are street dwellers] If you do not have a current
landlord
where are your staying and do you have a contact number for to reach
you?[No, the phone in the booth aint working]

You state that you insist on looking at my property if you are
interested
and want to drop by to have a look - where are you dropping by from?[I told you, we'd drop in from the street]
And
what timescale are you looking to view accommodation before actually
taking
up any prospective tenancy? [Since we're busy studying and begging during the day, could we visit during 1:00 am in the morning??]

Regards,[I'm thoroughly in need of your regards ma'm]

XXXxxxxxxxxxxx

The lady ended up asking us 14 questions all in all. Han had nothing to say except "Go to HELL you!!!!!" Even the immigration officer didnot ask me a single question when I landed at the Heathrow airport. But this lady, though we haven't met her, thinks that we are from AL-QAEDA, plotting to kill her, as she happens to be the First lady of UK.

Obviously 'me'

There should be a reason I posted so many pictures. All of them taken in India. Okay okay, I'm getting there........CHANCES OF GOING TO INDIA ARE AS HIGH AS THE SKY! But do I really want to go there?
Heart says 'YES : grab the opporunity!'
Mind says 'NO : All you do is spend money there'
Heart again : 'You love that place....besides you have to apply for a course there. Its useful if you go'
Mind : 'What rubbish? All that can be done without you. You've told every being you know that you are not returning back until June'06'
Heart says : 'If you dont go back this summer, chances are that you will not go back until next summer. Also you have an unused oneway ticket!'
Mind says....something.....I'm not listening to anything now!!
I''ll take a break.....let them battle!
Maybe all this happened courtesy of my friendly fellow bloggers....Sheeshers says he will travel in December [he's already started to blog about it]. Chakra, I guess, is leaving today and Parth is already in India!

The first drop of the first rain in a new year. It rained a day after Ugadi [when a new year begins in the Hindu calendar]. The picture, taken at Vishwaneedam by my little brother, captures my vision. If you can observe, there is a bird right over the trees and the dark rainy clouds provides a perfect background.

Bangles by the dirt