Christmas in Salalah

Boredom dominates me these days and hence the blog is often left with the stale post stained with the smell of last month's randomity and joy. As much as I love expressing my happiness here, I hate mentioning my sorrow. I always feel that Its upto the blogger to draw in the reader into his/her world, and when I post once in two months anyways, its pretty unfair to let that post succumb to my desperation.

I am currently in Salalah picking up my life where i last left it before entering the doors of the operating room. If I do happen to pick some of the Humor i lost on the way, I'd be one happy man (pun unintended).

Christmas is almost here and celebrating it in Salalah means tray loads of sweets prepared with rations of almond and raisins and tutti-frutti whatnots budgeted out from the parents' november salary. Some purchased from the Local Supermarket and the latter imported from Mumbai through the luggage of one hospitable aunt. We have to give the traditional rum cake a miss though, mom adds; a result of the side-effects of my surgery (No Alcohol of any sort). We can do the 'Neuris' though, those half-moon shaped deep fried stuffed puffs, a staple of any respectable Goan mothers' christmas tray. Now for all those who don't know the tradition of the tray of Christmas sweets, lets just say every Goan household HAS to have one stacked up to the brim with an array of sweet somethings for guests to peck at. My Childhood memories of Christmas in Goa are filled with many instances when my humble peck turned into plundering. Okay, Neuris done and stored out of reach of the Pet Parrot, we're onto the sweet nothings; Kulkul and Shankarpali. Till today No one who has eaten these has even once paused to salute the elongated hours that have gone into the making. Its just *Click* *Crackle* *Chomp* not necessarily even in the same manner! Sometimes the tray of sweets might also have indigenous friends packed and stacked neatly into the same, earlier mentioned aunts' luggage and sent over to Salalah. These include Bebinca (Oh Good Lord, Its too much to make it at home. Lets leave it to the workers slogging in Goan Factories. Merry Capitalism to you too!), Perad (Guava Cheese. Can stink at times but heavenly when eaten, especially when you don't know whats gone inside), and Dodol (Close relative to the Bebinca when it comes to the procedure.). There are a host of other sweets which make it to a Traditional Goan Tray but I just left it to the specifics or rather, the favorites, i must say. ;)

With regards to the decorations, owing to the fact that Dad leaves on the 22nd of December to celebrate Christmas with the Sister and also because half here and half there never form a whole, we shan't be putting up much of those. Maybe just a wreath outside to show our all-christian neighbours that we too have spent money on the decorations (9 Rials Just on the Wreath #FTW). Also we might, just MIGHT spend Christmas out of Home (us referring to Mother and Myself, Dad flies to Mumbai remember?). 

The remainder of the Christmas Week shall see Long Shopping Sprees, Repetitive visits to the 3 measly departmental stores in Salalah, the same old rush to pack and then just 6 hours after i ring in the New Year in Salalah, i shall be off to ring in the new year in Mumbai.

Just thought of giving you a lighter perspective on my otherwise boring stay in Salalah. (Believe me, this dial-up tone played by the modem is like a horror story in my otherwise perfect Hathway Internet-serviced life). Hope You Enjoy It. Ill Plug In later to wish you guys. Go Spread some of the Christmas Cheer now! 

The Runaway Hit

Its been a While, and my oh my what a while has it been.

The past two months have been like this surprise roller-coaster ride which entertains and amazes you at all the sweet spots. It takes you as low as you could possibly go and then the next moment, while you're salivating at the escape routine you just went through, you find yourself being tossed up again. In this see-saw of emotions you look around and find yourself as the centre of possibly all attraction. You suddenly realize that while you are busy taking this ride, you are drawing other people into the picture. First, of course you get your family in. The first respondents in all life-emergency situations. Just round the corner, not so far, stand your core group, which, owing to your short-attention span, you never knew existed. Not ones to be left behind, hot on their heels stand the rest of the people you call friends.

When the ride finally grinds to a halt, you get out and notice that your plight has succumbed to so much pity that you think the post-ride nausea has got the best of you. Its only when you wake up a couple of days later, wide awake on the matress that you can actually gauge and review the intensity of the ride. You can get back to the sharp curves and the steep climbs, the fast descent and the first climb.Everything comes back to you almost as if you're watching your own movie.

The angles crisp and clear, the drama nonetheless present and the climax, as nail-biting as you may have once wanted it to be. The Editing too is flawless. You remember as much as you want to and flush out only that which was a waste of footage anyways.

Its only when the credits roll however, that you realise the true acquaintances. The ones who didn't just attend your premiere for the complimentary popcorn and pepsi. The ones who stayed back to meet the director, not the ones who lingered behind to scoff criticism. You go to your after-party and again can't help but look around as you see just as many people as many you wanted to be present.

This is one movie. though, which is safer tucked away in the closet labelled a 'runaway hit', rather than being agonizingly played again and again to prove a point. All I can say is a big thank you to the ones who were part of it.

Why Random Trips Work...

Its been long since i wrote out my heart here. And yes, this first line has been a never-ending cliche but nonetheless a good way to start my posts.

Random Trips make up a heap of the otherwise-never ending routine called College. And though, with all the last minute detailing that gets into them they are left far from random, everybody loves a good trip. The Girls like it when its short and at a time when there are plentiful of excuses to give at home, the bunkers depend on these trips to get their connect up with the class again, and the Boys, well....They just love Trips.

However, originating from a very cheap class who are at the will to spend a grand on a project but just above a dime on something they enjoy has its own drawbacks, In other words, even if you have a rich dad, there's no way you're going to save up money in BMM. We often end up calling ourselves Cheap, but there's a lot going into coining that term.

Coming back to the daunting task of saving up for a trip. Once the accounts have been made and the group realises that each one can spend nothing more than 300 bucks, we already have our destination marked. While in most cases Manori happens to win hands down, a few brave folk have also ventured as far as Daman (when the booze is cheap, why worry where to sleep?).

Now since these trips happen to work out only when the semester's about to end, we're sure to get the necessary crowd (10 upwards always works out better for splitting the room charges) and as they say, 'the more the merrier', specially when the barrel's rolling.

What happens from the time we enter our rooms though is a matter of sworn secrecy. OK, i'll admit it isn't sworn, but its still a secret. Its known by many, but still unspoken. You can take a guess now and there are slim chances of you being anywhere far from bullsey

The best part, however, or atleast according to me is the amount of time these trips allow you to be by yourself. In a spur of  moment, you can get all chatty with people you bitch about, and in the next you can enjoy the fleeting sea breeze all by yourself. After all, its not a holiday if you ain't got it to yourself!

Anyways, as always we have the gorgeous beach to ourselves too, and the water never looks as inviting as it may seem after a hard night if you know what i mean. A nice decent game of footy is what follows, and in due time, people are seen complaining of their respective tans and how horrible they look. That my friends is when we retire for the day and start the slow and steady journey home.

For me the return has always been the hardest, you know, when you're out all of a sudden, just getting that incredible adrenalin-like rush of independence, and doing things your way, the return just makes you feel like shit. It brings to mind the painful journey in a creaky local train back home. It reminds you that you're back to the routine. (When were you out of it anyways? Half a Day?)

While memories often keeps these trips fresh, Nostalgia hits hard. After all, when you'll be so rich as to spend a couple of days at an end instead of one, you won't have the same weird, unshaven pain-in-the-ass friends with you. :D

 

Musical Melodies to make your mood

Well I do not know if most of my classmates have thought of this, but i for one have devised a crafty little option to get me out of depression and bad moods in general. What i do is simply start playing songs. Of course, one may argue now that music in itself does set the mood, but I fine tune this playlist a little more. What i basically do is choose songs that I would associate with my friends and classmates from college.

What I have realised is each song has a certain event or timeframe attached to it. Reverting back to this particular time-frame and living it all once again is what distracts my mind into enjoying the good times that had prevailed.

To quote a few, I always begin with a Desi Girl, besides reminding me of the constant presence of compatriot, Jubin John, this song also helps me revert to festivals and the good times in particular I've had with the fest-o-hoars. Similarly, Love Story, by Taylor Swift helps me teleport to fun times in the Chennai Industrial Visit, when Royston and I had ever so skilfully murdered the song, one of Vanessa Miranda's favorites.  The song, "You're my Mate" which i had chosen as the soundtrack for an FYBMM video also takes me back to fun times in Nagpur. A Certain duo of songs have been limited and reserved for Royce "The Stud" Noronha - those being the ever-so-recognisable "Mera Hi Jalwa" and "Love me, Love me, Love me" from a very much flop hindi movie, namely "Wanted". Going somewhat Retro, "Aaj Kal Tere Mere..." immediately reminds me of director saahab Arnesh Ghose, my first "somewhat Gay" partner, Tushar Mathew and the whole cast and crew of the Blitzkrieg 2010 Musical. When it comes to picturing a Dharam Mishra, no other song can do justice as much as the ill-fated "Ibn-e-Batuta" to which he performed at the Fresh Face Elims. Same going for Avro, wherein the Paa title track always gets those pearlies flashing. Coming to Aditya Ubare, you don't need to think of a particular track...You just pick the two to thre most famous tracks of the moment and picturize him dancing to those. The effect really get you all pepped up!

By the time you guys came to the end of this huge list, you guys surely must be figuring out why the hell did i choose this topic in particular. The fact being yesterday night was a very depressing night for me. It culminated the gloomy and dead moods of the past two weeks and the results were very queasy.

It was then that i chose to look to my music for some satisfaction, and satisfy it did.....

I still bitch about the lot, fight with them, throw tantrums about them and at the end of it, hang out with them. Knowing no matter how much i hate them, I love them for being my classmates and having such a universal presence, that mere symbolisms are enough to remind me of them....So as i come to the end of this kind-of-very-emotional post, I play the title track for ""Polaris 2009" knowing very well that if there is any of the bad mood still left somewhere deep within....It'll vanish momentarily
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Blog-Support

Two of my best friends, Sean D'mello and Sean Sequeira come together with a Blog where they'll be reviewing books and movies. With Sarcasm that could have you brain dead yet physically alive. They are a duo well worth looking forward to. Below is an excerpt from their introductory post;

Strictly SEANs: First Day, First Show. Our Prelude: "We all need to simplify certain things in life. There are moments when we are on our way out of a theater or on the last page of a book and ..."

Little into my last year

Ah! It has finally happened. Projects have started hitting us left, right and centre and no matter how much we curse them for being there, we can't avoid the minuscule joy we get by their mere presence. We were just done with one on promoting ourselves as brands, for example. My work was definitely not my best for this one, but at the end of the day im glad i was atleast original in my concepts and output. You guys can have a peek at the campaign here.

In other news, I try each day to get to know my freshers' better. Just thought that would be a good way to get around things for once, instead of the usual, "I-am-an-arrogant-senior-you-are-a-puny-FY" kind of thing. Well, sending all of them facebook friend requests might not be the perfect ice-breaker, but i hope I'll get to know them well atleast in a month or two.

I must say its quite odd adjusting to life as a senior. The tables have quite so neatly been turned, as people tend to come to you for advice and consultation on a vast number of issues. This too shall pass i believe.

On a personal front, Every passing week seems to teach me something new in politics or diplomacy. I am kind of getting to look through a lot of fake bubbles, which don't seem to burst but just grow bigger.

If you may not have known before, i still believe that I have to get smitten by the constantly fleeting love bug atleast this year. I desperately feel that no matter how dumb or flawed puppy love may be, its still good while it happens. And as much as i do not want to sound wannabe, now would probably be a good time.

In the meantime, life goes on. College is seemingly good so far and the rumour mills have gotten rid of news related to me i hope, or atleast that is what i pray.

This is a very random post, i know but my cup was full and i needed to pour the overflow out somewhere. :D

Some Little-Big Festival I spoke about..

More than a week has passed since the most talked about festival, (In my facebook account atleast) having passed. Mixed emotions had previously prevailed and still do. Stuff like, "what now, Brian?", "Your three years are done" kept moving through my mind. More so as I saw my fellow comrades from the '09 version of the very popular fest (Yes, you should realize by now, I am trying to write the post without mentioning the very name of the festival).

The three days this time around carried the same little powerful concoction of love,quarrels, oodles of sweat, energy drinks and a few good showers of rain. As a proud third year, I made sure I was at hand all the time, but only stepped in for a bit of damage control. Reason being, no matter how much i wanted, the 2010 version just wasn't my fest. I mean, i still cared about this mammoth of a media-mash but this year, there were people who cared much much more. Who probably shed more tears and blood getting into it than i may have ever done even in my three years as that huge dodgy security volunteer.

Again, as much as i would want to give a day-by-day synopsis of my first love, I shouldn't do so as it would probably spoil the reason behind this post anyway.

I can only say that as i sat there as one of the many in the crowd of white T-shirts (some with ugly brown patches and some with really sweaty armpits) waiting for the Chairperson (A junior I love and Adore, Tushar)to speak, I could only have preserved this moment for eternity. After all, Last Polaris Man (There I said it!) Its probably atleast another 5 years before I can return to this platform as an eager judge, or a Rich and smiling sponsor. Before that happened, i wanted to get in all i can. I probably gave bear hugs to 60-odd people in that hour. I sank into tears and was laughing wholeheartedly right in the next moment. One moment I loved Sudu for something, the next moment I cursed him for eating into the Chairperson's speech.

But there was nothing, nothing at all that could stop me from being a proud BMM Wilsonian that particular night. Nothing could help me stop grinning, even the fact that I had to catch a bus to Mahabaleshwar in about 6 hours time, nor the fact that my body was aching in weird places i never knew existed.

Thats the magic my friends, THAT is exactly what happens when you give in your all. You just sit down and take it in, ONE last time.

A little into the business...

Well, for those of you who've managed to read my previous post (I sincerely do not know how many), the Wilson College Nature Club (WCNC) and Mocha TreeHuggers' joint campaign has already begun. We have started with the Photo Exhibition, "Through the Lens" already and are currently into its 3rd Day at Mocha's, Churchgate.

The Figures for now seem to be going great, as we're managing to clock in clientèle from the colleges of J.J, Jai Hind, K.C, H.R and beyond. We've sold quite some amount of merchandise with associations going beyond mere changing hands of money. The WCNC volunteers are doing a great job and if you are interested in buying stuff but do not know how to get to Mocha's or are busy on the days of the exhibition, It would be cool for you to give a call to Ryan Thomas (a TY.Ba Student at Wilson college and one of the many active members of the WCNC) at 9920263810. Alternatively, you can get to the Exhibition Team on Facebook too.

Coming to it Again, the guys at WCNC have spent a lot of time and effort into it along with dollops of support from the Guys at Mocha's. We need a lot more to get this exhibition going and here's to hoping you will at some point be a part of it. :D

Event Details for the Exhibition are as follows;
We're showing from the 3rd to the 10th of July at Mocha's Churchgate, following which we'll be present from the 10th to the 18th of July at Mocha Mojo's, in Bandra.


This is Brian as always, signing out hoping to meet you at any of the above venues in the days to come.

Little Somethings that Turn Big!

Its always been a pleasure whenever I may have heard of my college in the news. Even a small page corner mention brings a sense of well-deserved pride up in me.

Im never really the type to go all out for my college, but when asked for, i definitely think i can do a little something for the place which has reinforced me for two years, and continues to do so. Time and Again. As my Folks always tell me "All work and No play makes Jack a Dull Boy", being a Wilsonian, i have found, in the past years a very welcoming playground for my ideas and articles; The Wilson College Nature Club (WCNC)

It is indeed amazing to look at this little organization changing views and educating people all in a trek, an outing or perhaps a trail. Functioning out of a small nook in the archaic campus of the Wilson College Building, the WCNC has achieved quite a lot since its inception, including a countless list of dedicated alumni.

This academic year too the WCNC has a plethora of activities jotted down. However, with a huge appetite for nature, this little affiliate of the World Wildlife Fund in India, seems to have lost out on much of the finance it requires to function.

Of late, however, interesting things are happening as the Wilson College Nature Club has proudly joined hands with Mocha's; India's leading chain of Coffee Shops as a part of "Mocha Tree Huggers", an initiative by the establishment to foster a deeper connect with nature. Mocha's is basically helping out the WCNC by providing a platform so as to showcase photographs clicked by WCNC's very own group of budding photographers.

What its resulted in, is "Through The Lens", an exhibition of selected photographs of wildlife, landscapes and nature available as a book, a framed, blown-up photograph and bookmarks. The proceeds from the sale of the merchandise shall generously contribute to the upkeep of the Wilson College Nature Club.

One must note that even though, "Through the Lens" is a big initiative by the WCNC, us nature-enthusiasts also have other activities a trail through Borivali National Park (Aug 2010), a clean-up drive (Sept 2010), an overnight trek to Rajmachi (Oct 2010), a tree planting session (Nov 2010) and a trip to Karnala Bird Sactuary (Dec 2010) which you guys can be a part of. 


If you guys would like to get a framed piece of spectacular natural landscapes and sights, please do not hesitate to enter Mocha, Churchgate from the 3rd of July to the 10th of July 2010. WCNC volunteers will be freely available on location to help you wherever required.


Its also a humble request from the blogger for everyone reading to atleast have a glimpse, if not purchase some of the photographs, as in any student-organised event, the WCNC members have put significant amount of efforts to make sure its a success.


Here's hoping its worth it! :D

TYBMM: The Start

Considering I've missed one week of college and have no clue about the first two of my most important projects, I'm not someone who should probably dictate how the classes really "are" going, but anyways, since this is my blog and I have the permission to be ever-so-random and cynical, I shall review my first few days of the year marking the end of my life as a collegiate.

The Mood is very much so gloomy. Now the advent of the monsoons and the excellent view of a drenched chowpatty should actually prove otherwise, but i guess there is this intermittent fear within each of us; the usual "Last Year, Last Class" emotions. I assume this is pretty much foolish as there still is a whole year ahead and I secretly wonder if people aren't already fed up of the same classmates, their silly mood swings and their consistent food fads and phobias, but then again, my opinion stands alone.

Polaris should have pretty much been the norms on everyone's minds by now at least, I was guessing. For a moment i even felt that the SY committee's attitude was lackluster and ever-so-laid back. But then again, maybe i want too much, too fast probably like a worried mother constantly keeping that faithful eye on her kid playing outdoors. I have done all i possibly can to increase the enthusiasm and it was then that i realized, that  i should actually be chilling out and let them cause their own problems, find their own solutions while pretty much sitting and taking it all in. My Last Polaris in Wilson. Considering my obsession with the word and the sheer hatred to the same by the few-hundreds in my Facebook friend list, I should probably take in the sights, the sounds, and the overflowing Power Horse like any other college senior.

The exit of the 11 Odd students from the otherwise cheapest BMM class was not something we grieved about, but they will be missed for their individualistic compositions in this boiling-pot of a collective crowd. I actually envy the dozen knowing very well that all of them can and WILL take my case when it comes to writing articles and other written notes. Then again, Im in advertising....I have the best of lecturers and am on the path of what i want to become. That should pretty much satisfy the cowering writer who lies beneath. Hibernate for now, my man. Your time too shall come.

Rani Ma'am's departure from BMM was of course something i wasn't expecting for a long time. But things happen, and i must say the two new professors have a niche of their own and will one day, (i'm sure) grow to understand Sudhakar as the un-questionable.

That is pretty much my summary. I understand it sounded much like a report for a college magazine, but it was pretty much from what my mind could blabber out. Ciao!

My return from Salalah and other non-important subjects

Wheww. Salalah was Fun. Specially when your first week involved being diagnosed with a Stomach problem diagnosed only because of excruciating Stomach pains on being administered a dose of Epsum Salt which was meant to clear the Stomach in the first place. Well that had a somewhat happy ending too, as I had my first experience of being on Saline and a bland diet which only helped my mom think up of tantalizing recipes for fish ands chicken made entirely oil-free and with very few spices.

The Mid-evening and Late-Night escapades were fun, considering the fact that most of my school friends now have Omani Driving Licenses along with Cars they actually drive! Well THAT only shows me where i stand on the Status List today, and i must confess, besides BMM, i have nothing to present to the world. Maybe a pack of Gulf-Imported Galaxy. Just That.

Mornings were terribly boring as i had to keep company to my pet parrot, a literal pain in my huge little backside. My Dad really loves him which is probably why he stuck around so much anyways.

I had this really nice routine done up for me where i decided to watch one movie from the Oceans' series every night, three-days-in-a-row. I realised with disgust why a Badmaash Company couldn't even get close to this wonder of a series. I also fell in love with Detective Beckett and the "Castle" series. Hoping to get my hands on a season soon.

With all this fun and merry-making you can bet your ass off I was missing Mumbai and the beautiful and sexy people who live here who have the privilege to be called "Brian's Friends" :D (Yes that was lame). I felt a little dagger stab me oh-so-softly when i realised i would be a week late for college. It was good the same dagger didn't show up when i learnt of my diet-to-be for the next one year. I would have probably pulled that dagger out and thrown it at the Doc. instead (The Bugger charged around 8k JUST for his first sitting).

Anyways, i returned to Mumbai two days back, on the 16th....and life which seemed would get better, is actually not. I seem really bored in classes, and something's probably gone wrong somewhere. Just waiting to figure out what. If you are an inquisitive classmate of mine and probably know what's bugging me, please write in at my e-mail id. I really need to get a hang of this unworldy flu.

Salalah

Lets face it. A lot of people complain about my excessive obsession with Salalah, and well, life in the Gulf in General. And i definitely know that a lot of my friends who've spent their whole life in Mumbai definitely stand by the nature of this metropolitan city which never sleeps and if it does, gets up in a few hours and gets going again as if on a dose of red bull. I respect their opinion. But being born and bred in the Gulf, or as i'd very much like to say, Salalah, things have never been the same to me. Mom and Dad both told me very honestly on my departure to India, that Son, once you live for three years in Mumbai, We're sure you'd choose it over Salalah anytime. But Im sorry folks, my obsession got the best of me. Be it those huge houses with two of everything, or that sloppily made shawarma. Everything, right from the namaaz at 6 in the morning do the difference in the taste of Mountain Dew have contributed in the process of making me fall in love with a country that is not mine.

It is just these days, during my vacations that i realize how badly i miss that place. No matter how hot or how cold. I'll even get through a cheap plane ride. But I just want to be there. I'm not doing anything quite creative here, neither shall i do anything there. But I must admit it, I'm dying to get to my hometown, If one can call it.

In one and a half year to be approximate, my visa shall expire and i will not be able to travel to my country of birth as a resident. It pains to even think about it. But whatever it is, Ill enjoy myself really well the next time i get there which, (taking into consideration my TYBMM), shouldn't be anytime before one year. But ill wait. As patiently as I can.

I was, am  and shall still be an Indian. But I cant help but acknowledge that little country lying below the UAE which has in more ways than one helped me become what I am today. Thanks Dad for taking the brave step of defying the usual work culture of the family. I'm glad you didn't set sail on any ship but rather went to the Gulf. And Thanks, both Dad and Mom. For letting me and Sonia grow up in a country i can proudly call my home. In fact, I can mention more ways by which I'm more of an Omani rather than a Goan.

PS: If Oman were in the running to the FIFA world cup, I'd be the proudest Indian :D

The Heats getting to me...

Had all gone well, i would have probably been in Manori right now, lying on the sand or probably frolicking in the water, but plans in BMM have a nasty way of going wrong right about the last minute. So it happens again, indecisiveness comes to the rescue and i am home instead, having cancelled a very good plan of my own making.

Staying at home is also something that I have begun to find extremely boring. Well it always is! Even the wonderful occurrence of me getting to sleep as much as i may ever want sounds very unappealing. Like always, i would love to have a sleep-crisis just about now. but then thats all BMM's fault. Entirely.

After joining this seemingly "creative" course, I have discovered that If everything feels right, Its probably not. Even all this sleep in bountiful numbers seems fake to say the very least. Its like ill wake up one morning to a phone call where Jubin's probably at the other end telling me to rush to college with my project (which btw, will be half-complete as always). Fake. The word in itself has obtained numerous meanings in the past two years. In this little course I study in, and after having experienced different kinds of people, I can rightly say that, "In BMM, Everyone is fake until proven otherwise".

The Heat seems to be getting to me as you can see. Randomity prevails in most of my posts in this season. Its like someone's messed up with my brain. Just cant get my thoughts out on paper in a neat and ruled manner. My thoughts don't even seem to be mine all of a sudden. They just crop up from the corners of my brain

Ok. Back to BMM. Third Year to begin shortly. For now, Sudhakar is in Ladakh, on a trek, dealing with demons on his own. God please keep him sane. I want to get through my interview without having to give those gigantic book reviews. Must say my interview last year was a breeze. Hope similar weather conditions prevail this time around.

I constantly feel the need of a two-wheeler. Feel like asking my parents for one. But then again, for one, I think its too early, and secondly, I know they'll be too reluctant anyways. Seems my Kundali (Hindi for Horoscope) has indicated major problems between me and a two-wheeler.

Okay, BMM again. I was just browsing through a few of my TY's photographs on facebook. Hope my year ahead is awesome. Will try not to get too many people to hate me. Well, I do know that people can bitch quite an awful lot about moi. But for now, lets not initiate any hate clubs please.

Girlfriends. I last heard that this little part of a boy's life happens in college. Well im not quite desperate, but would like to get my dose of this little vaccine called puppy love soon. Well with me i'd rather call it Bull Dog Love, but then thats just one Sad PJ which will probably help draw me far from prospective applicants for the post of my lady love.

Festivals. Want to win one of these in my third year. and i definitely might be a little desperate here, but I'd definitely want to do what Royce calls, "Peeing on San Marco". Things wont get that worse if Wilson wins a festival, but I just want to deliver one of those shockers to that nasty little college in Bandra and its students who think no end of themselves. Hopefully this shall be the year.

Well, enough random thoughts. I do not want to make this note any longer. So, here I am, this is me, there's no where else I'd rather be.

PS:

The one or two odd comments i receive really makes me glad that there are people reading my blog if not sharing my perspective on life. It really fuels the soul to write a bit more. However random the post can be! :D

Us Humans..

A Friend of mine just started her own blog, Aparna Nair i usually love the way she writes, however there was one post i read today which i was quite against. Not that It was offensive, I just thought i had a better outlook to the topic.

She wrote on how humans always think that the grass is greener on the other side but regret it only after they've made their shift to the better portion. I do admit, that humans take the "sophistication" to another level already. We spend quite sometime making choices which we one way or the other will come to regret in the near future. She also speaks on how we know that things are about to go wrong but we look away from the negatives and still commit mistakes.

In my response, rather, my review of the situation, i'd like to say that the above stated would be mere pre-requisites us humans have. These are totally habitual. But there ARE ways to make sure that the gravitational forces amidst all the change don't get to us. The tip basically, is to surprise yourself.

As an example, let me revert back to the months of August last year. My class was just done with the mammoth task that was Polaris 2009 (An Inter-collegiate festival). And post the festival, even amongst the plethora of subjects thrown to us by the course, we felt as if we had a creative block. Most of us just couldn't think right! We had almost exhausted our energies preparing for the event. And as much silly as it could sound, I must admit, We were indeed affected. It was in the Emergency Swine Flu vacations however, that a few of us got together and said that we needed to escape from our routine. We needed to break free, of sorts. So before we knew it, we set off for the town of Daman, in Gujarat. We hit the road early in the morning and the little drizzle we recieved really set things right. We managed to stay in Daman only for a day. But almost everyone agreed, that it was a welcome respite.

We returned on the next day, and the trip was finished. But believe it or not, we were refreshed in the most odd ways one could ever think of! I personally love those trips, where one leaves in the middle of a deepening crisis, travels afar where he is left solely to himself, and then returns to take up the business with a fresh state of mind.

So, here ends my review of us as humans. We are unpredictable and my guess is that we should remain that way, for the sole reason that we get to surprise ourselves. Do new things, we may have never done before, in order to never get bored with a limited schedule and boredom at work.

A Note I've Written To All My Classmates on FB

So all of you'll...Tys you rightly are, in all respects. Must say we have a multi-talented class, and am proud of it. And as we are ready to brace this year with corrected and spell-checked SSR Interview speeches, new cameras, bigger hearts and even emptier wallets, I have a set of random thoughts id like to share with you people....

*I like to think of TY as the year where we thank bmm, for the previous two years of confusion and hopefully try to get things settled this year, from untold truths to upturned hearts. All inclusive.

*Projects this year are going to be big-ass and mad-ass, so save your ass and invest in short-term investments. Save those 5 rupees on the Gudang Garam. Do that over a month and if you smoke 10 times a day you should save 1500 bucks. Will be enough for printing the brand destination coffee-table books.

*I dont know how heavy you think TY is gonna be or how theory and project heavy it will be, PLEASE ATTEND FESTIVALS. We need to focus atleast, on winning Your Own PR, if not other bigger events.

*Polaris 2010 happens in July, If you dont know what it is, Ill save you the effort and personally come kill you myself. If you know what it stands for, please help the generous souls sitting in the middle of this fest. Theyll need your help, and F U if you do not voluntarily volunteer. Just entering TY doesnt mean you can start having your whims and fancies (Actually, sometimes you can, but not with Polaris)

*I'm waiting for another wannabe-lovemark like Watermark and Pot. It makes root for a lot of good jokes.

*Random trips to Manori, Manori and Manori are expected to happen in due course, and all should tap into their wild side and attend such trips atleast once. It helps get rid of the Ghosts in your closet.

*Please dont get divided. Our class has stood pretty much together for Two whole Years. We dont want mud-slinging to happen all of a sudden. (Hmm, did i mention that Cat-fights are OK...)

*People who can make a few good class videos, please do so. It is time. Or rather It WILL be time.

*Birthdays shall be celebrated with increased fun and vigor. Period

PS: I have written the above in a non-toxicated state of mind and HAVE NOT been influenced by any person, living or non-living. If you relate to any of these above circumstances, it is time you begin to think of yourself as a TY.

I have also NOT forced anyone to agree with the above. Just consider them guidelines.

TYBMM (The Thank You BMM Year)

Haven't blogged in quite some time I understand. 3 Months to be precise. Got a little too pre-occupied with my one week emergency trip to the Gulf, the final few project submissions of SY and the Exams. Did'nt notice the blog much too, thanks to the tiny stream of readers that I acquire.

Have tried out registering with Indi Blogger, a community for Indian bloggers. Am not much of a blogger, but i didnt mind signing up. After all, who knows what awaits? Anyways, Got this mini-kind of a job too, with a College campus website . That apart, am officially a Third Year BMM student now. Won't say that the clock ticked rather fast, but yes, it is indeed a happy realization.

The SSR interviews shall commence in a month from now, asking us to get our facts right else change colleges. According to him, "Hinduja's" is always there, arms flung open. Once I get past that lucrative offer, I will have stepped into the specialised world of advertising, where projects will be huge, and finances will need to be gathered from every nook and corner. I would like to think of TY as the "Thank You" year, where people usually take a side-step from the festivals, the major chunk of GM, and set off on a journey of self-realisation. To most, this journey is short and extremely confusing. I would like the GM and the festivals, please. It is my last year, and i believe its worth a good shot. Will be good to see Wilson win atleast one major media festival this year. Not that it'll count much once we've done our TY, but such a step would definitely boost our juniors' confidence. Who knows, three years on, the "BMM Ka Baap" chant might be redifined to suit the cheap and sleazy crowd at Wilson!

TY will also see a great deal of patch-ups, i guess. No one would want to give silent goodbyes, that, as a silent spectator to our class, I am SURE! Actually speaking, I've got some broken strings to mend myself. To be precise, Just ONE. Hope that works out. Will be a good farewell only when I have got rid of all the grudges. ALL.

In other news, here is something i just HAVE to mention, my friend, Manish Usapkar has acquired a rather expensive tool which will surely help him to scale newer heights. The problem being, please join me in my prayers that the tool shall remain spotless and safe. He has received a lot of criticism already, here's hoping he shall justify it....

Also, Polaris 2010 is gonna hit the BMM colleges again. The dates remain the same from last year, but the theme and the outlook will be different. Snazzier events have been drawn out, and It sounds very promising. Best of Luck to my Second Year's on that.

So, my random rantings draw to a close. It is past mid-night and the sleep still has to set in. Tata.

Reality Shows. Yes it does.

I do not happen to be a star, someone famous, or someone whose opinion should be taken into consideration. But this note stands as my disagreement to the fest that was Blitzkrieg 2010. Believe me or not I had been pondering over my choice to write this note from 4 days.

Sometimes, things affect you in certain ways that you just cant avoid it. I shant say that Festivals is all that is left of BMM. The Baap of BMM to me has remained to be Sudhakar Solomon Raj, right from the first day i set foot into this wonder of a course.

Keeping that aside, there is a certain zing i look forward to in festivals, and though there's quite a lot of it in Polaris amidst the love and Power horse overflowing, i couldnt notice it during Blitzkrieg. Primarily because i was turned off, and secondly because of treatment, which in older times would be nothing short of racial discrimination. It had appeared to a certain someone, that the contingent under the name of "Crosstrack" disappeared from the auditorium at most times. I do not think that the 4 rows of grumpy, placard holding, flag-waving menaces were given justice.

In the times where one promotes a short film event as ever so niche and exquisite, the results, are damn sure, questionable, with all respect to my fellow BMMites.

I have also made up my mind to never as hell, play trump cards in a game, for fear of a certain contingent, bending results, just to prove me wrong perhaps.

In what was proclaimed as an exhibition of creativity on the 22nd and 23rd of january, i should have rather paid tributes to my friends in Nerul by attending their fest, where most of the entries, were ACTUALLY justified.

I refuse to take names in this catfight for fear of getting some of the muck on my dear friend's clothes, but i would just reccomend the BMM departent of the reputed college in Churchgate to atleast try and "get their facts right" the next time around.

And I hope and pray, that the collection of like-minded and cheap fare just opposite Chowpatty reflect my opinion, in the favour of genuine competition.  Ambitious and pure