Oblivion

The life and love that you once knew, doesn't exist anymore. Whatdoyado? Wait for it to come back? Go back in past, capture those moments heavily. Or just while away time and let your present get away as well?

Move through all phases, and you will realize none of them are pretty. One day you will turn emotionless, numb and questionably heartless - something very different from what you used to be.

The innocence has gone with the past. The lines on the face are appearing fast. You are growing up or some would call it, maturing.

Soon enough, you look in the mirror and don't recognize the person staring back at you. You don't look or feel the same, and the body, has a mind of its own and again, doesn't look or feel the same.

Never thought a year could make so much difference to one person. You were a person who was just exploring life and love, and on the road, you forgot yourself.

Whatdoyado now?

Something different

I don't know what it is about Mumbai that makes you want to write a lot.

Actually, I do know.

In the USA, if you are studying, you have absolutely no time to update blogs. Updating on Facebook or Twitter is a big enough deal already. Chatting with friends and keeping in touch with people is a bigger deal. Pressure of studies, projects and no food just takes a big toll on your life and turns it round 180 degrees. It really happened. 12.5 hours behind India. Absolute day and night difference. Really, troublesome life it is.

I don't say this to discourage the people planning their studies abroad, but I say this to prepare my darling juniors mentally to know that it is a difficult life in USA. Something that we MU students are not used to, something different that is totally worth experiencing!

I am back in Mumbai for the winter break. And these past 4 months have been a wonderful journey. I have always wanted to live and study in the USA and being there, I just feel a big change in myself. I can't give names to the change, neither can I explain it. All I know is, something good happened.

Now that I'm here for the vacations, I'm enjoying it. Loving meeting people I love. Loving telling people about stories of my life over there.

I can't possibly write much here, but it's been a nice journey. Looking forward to a lot more.

A crooked life

As my post no. 101, this is a dedication to a new life.

To all those who still read this blog and are still in college, don't be surprised if this turns up in Insignia..

-

A crooked life

Exactly a month after reaching the US, I sort of don’t remember how it was being back in India. Now I won’t say that I don’t miss India but I honestly can’t remember how I lived life before this. Cooking your own food, doing your own laundry, spending your own damn money... it’s a very new concept for a person like me who has been living with their parents for the past 22 years. But once you come here, you are suddenly independent, you are suddenly alone and more importantly, you turn into - you. This is what your parents have raised you for. To stand on your own feet. To make something of yourself.

It all dawns on you the first day that you are here. Before that there is a lot of crying at the airport followed by shameless self-indulgence in food on the airplane, especially if you’re travelling alone. A word of advice, on the airplane, don’t ever get talking to people around you (strangers or friends) about your life in India, because suddenly you may just get sad and get the urge to go skydiving without a parachute. Don’t even talk about the future. Talk about general topics like movies, music and books. Or better, keep quiet and watch your in-flight entertainment or just do others a favour and sleep.

The first 24 hours are filled with a lot of numbness and overconfidence. One comes here thinking we can conquer anything.

“Ma’m do you want something to drink?” Orange Juice! Bring it on!
“Ma’m would you like a veg meal or a chicken meal?” Chicken! Bring it oonn!
“Ma’m that would be $5.” That’s a lot. Oh well, I’m going to get a job and start earning soon. Bring it ooonnn!

The numbness is due to the fact you don’t know how to act or react or even be. This happens a lot when you are here, better get used to it. The overconfidence shatters on the orientation day when you start imagining situations of assignments without photocopies and nobody to copy from. Also, you realize the competition that exists for jobs; you just know you cannot even afford to pay for overconfidence. That is when life begins here. And everything becomes second nature to you.

Moving on, every person who comes here comes with their eccentricities, their culture and moreover, their hygiene habits. Honestly, nothing is worse in this world than having a roommate who is a slob. Find some clean people, convince them to come to your university and you are set for the next 2 years.

A month later with no job but with lovely people around me, a lot has changed in me– from inside and outside. You lose weight because of lack of (motivation to cook) food and a lot of walking around because well, you can’t afford a cab or bus ride. How you wish auto-rickshaws existed here as well! On the inside, I am the same but a lot stronger (and numb) in addition to the happy, which is purely dedicated to the people around you.

Wish you all a wonderful life; hope to see some familiar faces here soon!

Beware: Cynic on the loose

Attention, seekers!

Pay heed to the above phrase. If the comma had not been there, I would've been calling, rather accusing all of you of being an attention seeker. But, would I be wrong?

The kind of people who like to seek attention are also called wannabes. But, living in Bombay, we'd say that this place is full of them. Having said that, I also want to encourage the words attention seekers than wannabes. Derogatory the latter sounds, right? Being an attention seeker is something everyone inherently excels in. Wannabes, not everyone, because of course, the word has a negative connotation.

We live in a country full of phonies. We survive in a virtual world of social networking websites or applications. For example, a person with whom you may be good friends with on Facebook, but in person, it's a different ball game altogether. Bet you can't even find two words to say after "Hey, wassup?"

On the internet, everyone has a chance to sound cool, witty (given enough time frame to retort to someone's wise-ass comment) . It forms this mask, that very few people know who you are.

Now I know I'm not the first one to point it out, and I ain't going to be the last. On facebook, twitter, or even this blog.. We seek people who would pay attention to what we have to say. Some might call it expressing their opinion.

There are categories in such kinds of people as well:

1. Who claim that they do not care about people commenting on their status, tweets or articles, but actually care..

2. Who actually don't give a rat's fart. These are self-sufficient people. Who-the-fuck-gives-a-fuck kind.

Thinking over this again I realized, nobody is mutually exclusive to one category. So well, the point of this post is, umm.. pointless.

Good to be back though!

The luck factor

Sometimes in buses if I have a seat (rare occassion).. I get scared if a female who is a little plump around the waist stands near me.. especially those working females.. Why?

Because I feel (and I have actually mistaken that) they are pregnant and I get up to offer my seat to them!

If she is pregnant, I have done a wonderful deed but giving them my seat to them. I feel really proud of myself on such days.

If she is NOT pregnant, I lost my seat and trust me, NO WOMAN likes to be called pregnant especially when she's not. It's like a slap in the face. Hurts.

I think I understand what's going through your head now. I'm not the kind who politely smiles and offers the seat. I actually chit-chat because I want to confirm that the person I'm offering my seat to, is actually pregnant and not some sly, plump female who is taking my seat on grounds of looking pregnant. So there is 50-50 chance of me being right.

Sometimes I have been right, sometimes I have lost my seat.

Also, for those who do not know, there are 2 laws that work in buses - (Dimple's laws, not Murphy's)

1) The day you are super tired and don't have strength to stand- you will never get a seat.

2) On days you are full of energy, you will find a seat to rest your ass on without any difficulty.

So when the latter happens, I do not miss an opportunity to rest my ass. I may have let it go for short distances, but since I live in a village out of Mumbai, I don't usually do that.

But when the former happens, I do the following things to gain sympathy:

• Look all sad and tired (I already feel that from inside, but now I have to "show" it)
• Look at my watch, look at the crowd and sigh.

On rare occassions, someone actually gets up and tells you to sit down in their seat even though there are equally good competitors around. Bless that soul.

But somedays, according to the laws, you just can't help but stand in the crowded bus, get pushed around and give dirty looks to stupid men staring at you.

But somedays you have all the luck. I hate such days :-P

He's got the look

Once you've stayed in Mumbai or roamed around the streets of Mumbai long enough, you often see this happening.

Realistically speaking, it can happen to anyone. You don't need to be a driver. You can just be a passenger in a rickshaw or car or a pillion on a bike to notice this. We've seen it in a gazillion movies too.

It happens alot. It happens all the time. It's like falling in love, but in reality is quite the opposite.

"Love at first sight", they say, "is merely physical". But THIS look, is quite a deeper emotional feeling. Therefore, not love at all.

Ok I should reveal what I am talking about before I lose my readers on grounds of being too cryptic. Let me explain - I'm sure most people have seen this happening - When an autorickshawwalla can see another vehicle trying to take a turn, YET he cuts him .. or "threatens" him slowly by accelerating at 1 kmph and if the other driver is able to take th turn successfully.. while passing each other.. they give each other THE LOOK! :D

Yes, this is the look that is not at all love and I find this look absolutely hilarious. I've found myself laughing many a times while driving if someone gives me a look. I have made it a point to give the look to many people while driving too. The look signifies utter disgust at the way the other person is driving even though you may not be doing a good job yourself. But it has become rather mandatory to give the look and I like sticking to social norms, even if it's just for the 2 minutes of pointless laughing ! The look says it all, "HEY, BUTT OUT", "THIS IS MY ROAD ALSO", "EVERYTHING IS YOUR FAULT" :P

Next time, do watch out for it and let me know your experience :D

Raindrops keep falling on my head

The two days that it rained in November were simply beautiful (courtesy : Cyclone Phyan)

Almost everyone had status updates as "November Rain" etc. Cliched as it sounds, we were all very excited to be a part of it (the rains, not the cyclone)

One of the funniest Facebook status updates I read was of Rishkul who said - "Mumbai has a bypass capacitor across it" LOL!

Well, those days are long gone, winter has officially set in - short days, long nights, but wait, IT'S NOT COLD!

Exams are in 10 days. But no studies happening thanks to MS applications.

Hope and pray my friends for 26/11 victims. Let us hope anything like it never happens again.