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.