Another week in Ith ends. It began with orientations and has ended with a glimpse of academics as they are to be for the next many semesters. Never in my life have I entered, and studied, in a library from day 2! Never. It helps though, that the libraries here are so nice that you almost don't feel leaving. That is, until you've had too much of a desktop and/or struggled too much with the homework. Even then, they're nice.

I've seen a movie - Some like it hot. Also went for another one but the undergrads beat us to it! Watched one at Mpwd tonight - Prince Caspian (chronicles of narnia). I went it, expecting nothing from it. I hadn't seen the first one. I realised though, after a long time, how almost all such stories have similar morals. I vaguely remember reading it as a child and it's queer how some, just very few things from the book came back to me as I watched the movie. There's this song in the end though, which just put me to tears.

Anyway, before I launch into that, here's the rest of the update. I've bought myself a huge big umbrella. Too bad even a drop hasn't poured since then! I walked around the B'lake today. It's a beautiful trail. Very calm and serene. Almost too calm, I got a bit scared to be honest. Then I went to the gym :) Finally. And I enjoyed it, building up a sweat after so long. Hopefully I can manage more of it. Oh, also the CC movie pass has been obtained. So have tickets to a few of the CCS events. And I'eve begun the homework. So far, so good.

So, about the song. Well, if you write (and sing) something like - (The call. Regina Spektor)

It started out as a feeling,

which then grew into a hope.

Which then turned into a quiet thought,

which then turned into a quiet word....

I'm bound to break down. I mean, c'mon, it's freaky how I end up listening to such songs. Is it just me?! And I don't even know why I reached my room in tears. Home? The lambu? Missing friends? What??!

This week's been difficult, in terms of the nostalgia. Infact the library's been the only place where I haven't felt it. Part of it is explainable, but mostly it's just like I know I'm torturing myself but I just don't know how to get past it. To be honest, it's not so much about home. I'm speaking to ma and pa almost daily. It's the one on the other coast. Every day I'm reminded of him. In so many little ways. Wherever I go on campus, something I hear or see around me invariably makes me long for him. For him to be here, for us to be something. I know I shouldn't. But I don't know what else to do.

A week of movies

So... the only thing I've managed, with a zillion pauses in the middle, is to have watched a few movies this week -

New York, I Love You

Up in the Air

The Holiday

5oo Days of Summer

and there some more lined up.

The thing is, in each of these movies, I saw a bit of myself. A bit of what I was, or thought, or am, as of today. Is that a good thing? Is it a sign? Why am I not able to figure it out ...

Human spirit ...

"My name is Khan. And I'm not a terrorist".

I had three reasons for wanting to watch this one:

1. I would watch it a thousand times just to see SRK & Kajol together.

2. Shiv Sena can go die.

3. I wanted to be convinced that I've grown up enough to not cry in a Karan Johar movie.

Verdict:

1. The magic is still very much there! The two of them look as good as ever, together!

2. Not that I care.

3. Well, evidently I haven't. Damn...

In a span of three hours, I laughed, espcially at the "whatever" moment; cried like crazy when s** dies, fell in love in the 'sajdaa...' song. I felt the pain of being apart and yet not stopping to love someone, and felt real goosebumps when they sing their version of "Hum honge kamyaab/we shall overcome".

Not that it's the best of movies, it's not. But well, surprisingly I liked it more than I had expected. At the end of the day it's really about the human spirit. And how there really are just two kinds of people in the world, the good ones & the bad ones. No Hindu. No Muslin.

Forrest Gumping...

Forrest Gump: Will you marry me?
[Jenny turns and looks at him]
Forrest Gump: I'd make a good husband, Jenny.
Jenny Curran: You would, Forrest.
Forrest Gump: ...But you won't marry me.
Jenny Curran: [sadly] ... You don't wanna marry me.
Forrest Gump: Why don't you love me, Jenny?
[Jenny says nothing]
Forrest Gump: I'm not a smart man... but I know what love is

DDLJ...

They're showing DDLJ tonight, on TV. If there's one movie we can all sit down together and watch, more than a decade after it was released, it is this one. (Earlier this year it completed 700+ weeks of running successfully at the Maratha Mandir in Mumbai)
It's the quintessential bollywood movie, it doesn't get any better! SRK & kajol are awesome together. Add to it elements of love, Europe, family values, fights, awesome music....
It's so much fun!! How everyone remembers their favourite scenes/dialogues and says them out aloud a few seconds before they actually come on! Eveyone!
"aisa pehli baar hua hai, satra atthra saalon mein..." :D
"..man, i hate girls!"
"bade bade deshon mein....." :)
"bharosa hai?...khud se zyada"
The "phurrr" vs "aao aao" scene where they feed the pigeons! LOL!!
The sarso ke khet..
'Mehendi laga ke rakhna'..... haaaye! :p

Nice-ness...

I watched 'City of God'. I can't believe I hadn't seen it till now. It's really really good!

Met up with P yesterday. I'm guessing we met after a very long time considering she commented on almost everything about me! Lol! (Except for the watch). Apparently I even speak more in english now than hindi ("I know you're a prof but this isn't a lecture!")- again not true!! But well, same old madness, just a different day.

I feel like right now I really want to write about something (that I'm aware of). But I'm just unable to.

So good night for now.

Daisies, NYC, Godfather, Pride & Prejudice

I don't usually download alot of movies. Simply because 99% of the times some virus or the other hits my computer. But I just had to watch 'You've Got Mail' this weekend. It took 20 hours to download but well it was all good.
It's one movie ma and I thoroughly enjoy. I think if I were to ever visit New York city I would want to see it in the You've Got Mail way. With a bunch of daisies. There was also a time when all I wanted to do with my life was to open a 'shop around the corner'.
Given how upsetting the past few days have been, I did particularly enjoy some of the dialogues more than usual -
Joe - "...On the other hand, I must warn you that when you finally have the pleasure of saying the thing you mean to say at the moment you mean to say it, remorse inevitably follows."

This one though is my absolute favourite - :)
Joe - "It wasn't... personal."
Kathleen - "What is that supposed to mean? I am so sick of that. All that means is that it wasn't personal to you. But it was personal to me. It's *personal* to a lot of people. And what's so wrong with being personal, anyway? ....Whatever else anything is, it ought to begin by being personal."

Kathleen - "...Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life. Well, valuable, but small. And sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around? I don’t really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So goodnight, dear void. "

"Ma'am, have you seen Kaminey?"

"Yes, I have."

"Ma'am, wasn't it just awefome??!" :D

Throat's been hurting for a while now. Feeling not too well.

There's been an auto strike for two days now. Entire public transport system has come to a standstill. Private cabs charging as much as Rs.350 for roughly 10 kms - highway robbery!! Anyhow hopefully things will get back to normal from tomorrow.

And well, The PhD Project has begun.

Dhan Te Nan...!!

I have had an amazing weekend. And thanks to an unrelenting downpour & an auto strike, there's no way to get to work today. I'm not sure how happy I am about it since I do begin to miss my college if the weekend extends beyond the usual two days. But well, yes, I am a little happy nonetheless!
So, firstly, please please please watch Kaminey. Finally a Bollywood movie which comes close to being 'different'. Fast paced, good songs, and quite a diversity of characters. Especially in the end when they all come together. Nice!
That apart, since RG was at home this weekend (he's finally done with his Medicine posting), we caught up on alot of things and Ma cooked all his favourite food ;) Saturday, maamu & his family came over for dinner. We all sat at the dining table, with lots of papads, popcorn, sprout salad, seekh-kebabas, and something to drink for everyone. Then began the characteristic singing activity, with (but ofcourse) maamu taking the lead. He & Ma sang many bhajans and Ghalib's prose (?). It gets really funny because they get these looks of professional singers on their faces, and add some emotion to it too, and just about manage to hold the tune! My maami is the only one who can sing in our family, but the rest are definitely not lacking in enthusiasm. RG recited some lines by Keats. He then had to recite them again three times since ma & maamu found them to be too profound and hence needed some time to figure out what Keats could have possibly been trying to convey. Dinner was good too, except everyone was already full with the snacks... And once the clock struck 11 P.M , ma began initiating the goodbyes which in typical Indian way carried on till atleast 11.30!
Sunday was spent shopping - for spectacles. All four of us in the family wear glasses. So they form a large part of our annual investments. Since this was the independence day weekend, about half a dozen places were offering some really good deals, so we decided to check them out. Surprisingly we managed to get ourselves something of our liking, all in one day! I finally gave in and bought a rimless frame - it has taken me months to get around to this, but seeing how the matrimony market functions, it's time we played by the rules. Although I still don't get it. Wearing specs is not a disease. And who doesn't wear them today? And please, don't even begin talking about contacts - I don't understand society's obsession with them. Actually I just can't buy how people are ready to confirm to common ideas of what looks good (in this case). And they propogate it in such a matter-of-fact way that I don't even think they realise that they are espousing views that they hold just to be a part of the collective.
Everyone has to dress the same, talk in the same way, behave in the same way, look the same - someone please tell me why. On second thoughts, don't.

The day that was...

It's the day after Rakhi, and all day I have been genuinely feeling that we Need a holiday the day After the festival. Seriously! It's not a 'want', it's a basic 'need'. Or we just need to change the way we celebrate festivals in (atleast) this city. And RG still owes me....!

Anyhow, back to yesterday. Woke up super early. Got ready. Realised that the new kurta was wearable (can be altered later!) but the salwaar was big. Still wore it though :) Put the sweets etc in different bags. Also packed some of RG's things for the hostel. Tried charging the cellphone as much as was possible. Picked up all the stuff, got into the car, and we began to drive to my Baba's house. On the way I realised I had forgotten the Rakhis at home!! I did kick myself, as much as was possible. I mean, no one does that! Not if you're the sister and you have something like ten brothers to tie rakhis to!!! Turning back was not an option, given the extra insane traffic on a festival like this one.

So we snaked our way from south delhi to north-west. Took about 2 hours. Spent an hour Bua's house. Then it took us another half an hour to my taiji's house, where again we spent about an hour. And then another 30 mins to finally reach baba's house, where we spent 30 mins. At every house we had to drink water, then drink soft drinks/tea, and then eat sweets along with aaloo-puri, or aaloo-chhole. Trust me, even though the women in our family are excellent cooks, it was pleasant only the first time. Oh, as for my cousin brothers, well for once I really wish they would take the initiative and get me something nice! I mean, it's not bad to get the money, but getting a present has a totally different kind of charm to it. (and not a present that their mothers' pick for me - things I can never ever wear/use!). Got lots of chocolate hampers though :D

From north-west dilli, we moved towards the hospital. Another 1.5 hours on the road and not a single nice song on the radio. At the hosp, RG had just gotten off duty, so half an hour later, we finally set out for naani's house - another 45 mins! I entered their house, and crashed on the bed in an AC room. I felt tired and all ickky in the hot weather. Amazing lunch (again aaloo-puri) awaited us. After which other distant relatives began arriving. RG was pretty generous this year round, atleast to L! More than even what maamu was to ma! Lol!! We stayed there for dinner and watched 'Step-Up 2' and 'Confessions of a shopaholic' (the guy in it is so cuuute!)- yes, chick flicks I know, but my brain by then could only process those. Left at 9 P.M, reached home at 11. Only to realise I started with classes in the morning today, and not the afternoon as I had thought. As if that was not enough, I also realised that the 3-day weekend I'd been looking forward to is the next weekend, not this one. You cannot imagine the degree to which my mood plummetted then.

Woke up today morning, grumbling all the while about the uselessness of having tutorials in the first half of the day! (Ma & papa conveniently ignored me!). I was tired all day at college. Sleepy too. And I had to prepare the lectures too. Managed somehow. Plus it was JS' birthday, how could I not have known?! Arranged for a little something for her from all of us in the dept. I've also been missing prag and nam, now that they've moved to other colleges....

Oh, and yesterday, after ages, I spoke to S. He's started using terms of endearment while he talks to both P & me! Lol! Spoke to P today morning, and we decided it's best we enjoy it while it lasts!!

Phew...that's about it I think. To quote someone, I don't even know how I could punch in these, blame yourself for that :)

August!!

August has begun! And hence, so have the festivals!! It's Rakhi later this week. Ma spoilt the surprise by telling RG what I was going to get him!!! So now I have to think of something else ;) Anyway for once (after many many years) I bought the rakhis in advance! But not the sweets, so there is still the last minute mandatory visit to the sweet-shops that we have to go through!
Watched The Hangover, it's such a riot! :D And another movie, 'Hamlet 2' which was weird but grows on you gradually! Plus the dept trip is coming up later this month, so more fun on the horizon. And the independence day weekend is also an extended one this year. I do like august!

The Proposal

I think M's on a spree to try to cheer me up! Which is awfully nice of her. So we went to watch The Proposal. It has decent bits of humour and sarcasm. And Alaska is just sooooooooo beautifullllll....omg! It's like remote raw untouched beauty. We were debating the various ways to get there ;)

Sweeeet Wimbledon'09

I was watching DDLJ after Years...then shifted to tennis....WHAT an Amazing mens' single wimbledon final it was! Roger Federer wins, beats Pete Sampras' record, that too in the most gripping 5th set match EVERRRRR!!!!! I mean, 16-14???!? It could kill you just to watch it on tv!!! Andy Roddick did make up for Nadal's absence, but well...I never really missed Nadal! Roddick does have a super serve but well, a serve doesn't make you the best!