Confused.

I'm not sure what I feel about the new layout. It feels a little cramped but I like the banner being in the centre and I don't know how to make it not look cramped while keeping the banner in the centre. A little help?

The Hills Are Alive (Ooty Trip Part 4)

After the long train journey from Bombay to Coimbatore and breakfast with the bloggers we hopped onto a local deluxe bus which would drive us up the winding roads upto Ooty for a Rs.60/= We were pretty impressed by this cause we were expecting it to cost more... We voluntarily sat three to two seats on this journey - I'm not sure why. We did pay for 5. I think it started with wanting to take a photo or because the view was good on this side and then we just stayed that way till we reached Ooty... Here's the part that baffles me. I lived in Ooty for 5 years while I was at school at Hebron and I've done this road-trip... let's see ummm atleast 8 times each year - once up after the summer holidays, down during the ten-day break in october, up after the break, down for the christmas holidays, up again after the holidays, down during the easter break, up after the break and then finally down for the summer holidays. Yeah, that's 8 So 8 times 5 - that's about 40 times! Plus the couple of times that I went up after I graduated - add another four. 44. And yet until I went up again this time with Jo, Sonu, Antu and Sharan somehow it was like I was noticing how gorgeous those hills are for the first time...

civilisation meets nature

beautiful waterfalls in the mountains

walking in the clouds

Chug-a-lug! (Ooty Trip Part 3)

Travelling by train with a bunch of good friends is the BEST! Travelling alone - five girls on a national train was not just fun for us, it was like a step towards independence. Of course we couldn't have done it all without parental intervention - especially Sharan's dad who booked tickets for us and other people who helped to make sure our AC tickets got confirmed at the last minute. But for the most part we were on our own and how did those 32 hours from Bombay to Coimbatore pass?

taking photos, playing games including Taboo, BOPIT, and we even gambled a little with newspaper money!

I spent a lot of my time hanging outside the train trying to capture the beauty of rural India passing us by, the setting sun and also trying to photograph my gorgeous friends (who were also hanging out the train!)

The coolest part was that when we reached Coimbatore we met two of our fellow bloggers down south - Nithya and Sharanyan and also Nithya's parents. Nithya's granny made up some delicious dosas for breakfast which was nicely packed and hot! So we found a little conference table in a shopping centre and ate to our heart's content before we got on the bus up to Ooty. It was so great seeing you guys! The fact that we actually met like this is just so fantabulous and hopefully we'll be able to spend more time getting to know you guys (like beyond the blogging world!) better the next time!

at the "breakfast table"!

All the girls: Nithya (behind, making horns!), Sharan, Sonu, Jo, Antu and Me

Fellow bloggers!
From Left: Nithya, Sharan, Me and Sharanyan

Let There Be Light

Yesterday was Diwali - which is the festival of lights in India. Traditionally we light candles and diyas outside the houses on this day. Un-traditionally or rather according to modern tradition; people burn up thousands of rupees in firecrackers. I don't like firecrackers for two reasons:

1. In India, there is a large and unfortunate exploitation of women and children in the firecracker industry which is a very very dangerous one to say the least and these lives are almost disposable to the capitalists who just care about their profits. I don't support it.
   
2. They're just so LOUD! Okay, not all of them - but people around here have a strange, incomprehensible affinity towards the bombs and the crackers that just make way more than the legally permissable levels of noise. Its really ridiculous - they light a whole line of the them and just stand there with their fingers in their ears watching them burst for minutes on end... what's the point, I say? Where the HELL is the fun in that? To me Diwali is a reminder of how badly the world needs to see the light.

I was reminded of this song last night while D, Dada and I were lighting the candles:

Give me oil in my lamp;
Keep me burning, burning, burning,
Give me oil in my lamp,
I pray.
Give me oil in my lamp;
Keep me burning, burning, burning,
Keep me burning
Till the break of day.

Keep me burning for YOU!

The Divide (Ooty Trip Part 2)

Every corner of India is vastly different from the last. Going on this trip to Ooty with Sharan, Sonu, Joyee and Antu for the first time helped me actually see the south with fascinated tourist eyes. I noticed things more carefully, was more compelled by it. Until now, I guess I've been taking the beautiful contrasts for granted. The south - especially Ooty was home, familiar, unspecial... This time - even the botanical gardens which are right next to my school, heck even school stood out so beautifully to my eyes. For that I thank you... Thanks for taking me on this trip.

The ordinary people of the south as seen from the bus window at a stop in Coimbatore...

Painter-Song (Ooty Trip Part 1)

I am back from Ooty. I have LOTS of photos. I think some of the best ever - thanks to Joyee's wonderful Sony Cybershot. (Note to self: the first thing I will buy for myself when I earn enough - SLR camera)

There are 520 photos on that camera from our trip to be precise.

For starters, here's one of my favourite --

Somewhere between Bombay and Bangalore. Leaning out of a fast-moving Coimbatore Express train capturing the reflecting sunset off the train. Magic. Truly.

I love my God. My God paints.

And.

Wow. What a country we live in.

My cup, it overflows!!

I am so happy right now, I have tears in my eyes.
We've been hoping and praying that our train tickets would get confirmed for the last month and guess what we went from number 13-17 on the waiting list to confirmed, confirmed, confirmed, confirmed, confirmed!! WAHAY!
We'll be on the the Coimbatore Express in exactly 4 and a half hours and I'm guessing we'll pretty much settle in and conk off to sleep after that cause let me tell me 12 days, 8 exams and then a whole lot of packing is tiring stuff!!!!
Anyway, we'll be on the train all of tomorrow and we're prepared (I hope) with Taboo, lots of conversation, lots of food to munch on, a book for me to pass the time. Its going to be great!
Wednesday EARLY morning we reach Coimbatore and spend some time with Nithya - a fellow blogger-friend. Most of us will be meeting her for the first time and we're super excited!!! I hear she's bringing us dosas for breakfast too! You're a STAR!
Then, we get on a bus up to Ooty - my love - and check in at our hotel/resort - ahem, ahem. Thanks to Sharan's dad for managing that for us - for FREE!! Does it get any better than that?? YES!!
But right now, I need to pack up my laptop... I'll try and update more later as and when I can...
God is SO GOOD!

Mars Bar

I'm eating a Mars bar. Mmmmmm, just look at all those layers of goodness! (And layers of calories......)

So guess what? I have just ONE more exam to go and its on Monday.

Today was Foundation Course which is pretty much like a general knowledge paper with the worst textbook in the world!!! Seriously. It would be funny if you didn't have to write an EXAM on it! But it wasn't bad anyway. Like Sonu said, we probably managed to write more sense than the textbook - we've got to get some credit for that, right?!
I'm on a F.R.I.E.N.D.S marathon right now, but I really should be sleeping cause I've been functioning on an average of 6 hours sleep for the last couple of days which is a big deal for me! I'm just so happy its almost over. These last two weeks have been extra stressful and not exactly been the best ever.

Just two more days and we'll be eating dosas in dosa-land (Tamil Nadu)!

I want a hair cut. But I also like my hair long. Dilemma, dilemma.

Songs on my playlist:

• Fire and Rain - John Denver
• Fool's Gold - Adrienne Pierce
• Broken - Norah Jones
• Traveling Soldier - Dixie Chicks
• Champagne Supernova - Oasis

Things I love about India:

• Cheap, ingenious and delicious food: Day before yesterday, Antu and I bought two generously small packets of fryums (think round crunchy things, lol. I have no idea how else to describe it) for 4 bucks ONLY!
• How you can get everything at home: Including a haircut for 50 bucks - I just had one! And now I have to go wash my hair...

Toodles!

Bittersweet Symphony

5 DOWN, 3 TO GO!!!!

Today was 'gooder' than yesterday. Actually MUCH better than yesterday. Yesterday was TERRIBLE. Yesterday was Econ II - now you know! (Today was Mass Communication - an 'applied component' paper; basically they like to make life difficult so they say, here do one MORE paper!)

Tomorrow is another monster - Psycho III. Which is all about pregnancy and babies which is all so wonderful but a LOT to study especially when you didn't study as much when you were meant to :) But that's life. And we're all human, so there.

The best part is... Just 3 more days to go before we're on that train! More on that later...


On my playlist (thanks to Sharan):

• Slow Dancing in a Burning Room - John Mayer
• I'm Alive - Celine Dion
• What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
• Song For No One - Ian Broudie
• Swallowed in the Sea - Coldplay

Random Photo taken at Mahim Station of Local Train a couple of months ago.

What they don't tell you...

Picture 1: Psychology textbook - First Year BA (the picture makes it look much fatter than it is actually - it is about half the size of ONE of my textbooks for this year)
Picture 2: Psychology textbooks - Second Year BA

What they don't tell you... First year is a joke. Second year is HARD!

Three down. Psych II was not bad today. Just waaaay too long. All my papers are too long. (Aside: Well, what do you expect Tina? You're doing ARTS!)

Next week this time we'll be a couple of hours away from boarding our Coimbatore-bound train! Wahooooooooo!

Just get me through this week fast, Lord!

Better go hit the books again. Next Exam - Eco II on Wednesday.

One more down!

So Econ-III was not so great but I think I might just pass it. My brain is just not cut out for Economics.
Psycho-II is next on Monday and of course I am not studying right now. :) But I will. Soon.
In the meantime - I got a little shutter-happy!

paper-clips!

Against the flow!

Snooze!

blurred-out!

My favourite new colour!
Okay, so I don't exactly own a lot of nailpolish but I'm loving the whole red thing right now!

Inflation

No, I'm not going to talk about inflation but everyone's talking about inflation nowadays. People are killing themselves over inflation.

One down… And I’ll only talk about what’s left when ‘downs’ are greater than the ‘lefts’ cause otherwise its just depressing. Today was not a great experience. I knew my stuff, I just did not have enough time to write it all down!! I guess in a way, if you REALLY want to look at the bright side, at least I have the satisfaction of knowing that I actually knew the answers… hmm, yeah. Not a great feeling. (by the way, I’m talking about my first sem exams!)

Otherwise, I am pretty happy today. I am in denial of my next exam right now. I’m giving myself until 7:30pm. I hate it when you have pin down your floaty happiness so you can concentrate on important things… Fundamental-Dualism… Ack! I’m talking Sociology!!

On my playlist right now, giving me joy: (all hindi songs)

-Shauk Hai – Guru
- Bandya – Khuda Kay Liye
- Bol Na Halke Halke – ( I forget which movie – it was a not so good movie)
- Naam Adaa Likhna – Yahaan
- Yeh Tumhari Meri Baatein – Rock On!!

I like to sing along and pretend like I have a great voice. I also like to dance along and since granny’s not home this evening – yay, I can like dance all over the house! Not that she has a problem with my dancing, its just embarrassing so the kind of stress-relief dancing only happens when I know no-one is looking. :) :)

Enough Already!

Some paper headlines for the past couple of days:

Deadly Saturday Again,
7 killed in bike blasts as terror revisits Malegaon,
147 die in temple stampede,
Blasts rock Delhi again,
Festive Season was on terrorists’ radar

And so on…
It seems there’s only BAD news. Seriously, I think the only neutral piece of news in the paper today was that apparently it’s snowing on Mars. How depressing is that, eh? The only piece of un-bad news and it’s not even on our own planet!!

Open the eyes of our hearts, Lord.
Open the eyes of our hearts.

Pray for India.

Countdowning:

19 days till we leave from Bombay
19 days till our exams finish
7 days till the exams start

Hmm… I think that’s about all.