Little Clouds Of Thought

I just made up that random title. Here I am on a Sunday afternoon bordering on the evening, doing an assignment. Other than organizational politics, there are a million things running in my mind right now. The first one of them is today would have been my Grandmother's 81st birthday - Aaji, I hope you're reading this, and all my love is with you. Do you read my blog regularly? :D - I am also wondering how I'm going to get all my work for school done in a very short time. I was asked by a certain someone to write more serious stuff here. But what if I dont want to? Its my space just to be. I don't have to write all kinds of techie stuff in order to be cool. Nor do I have to write about management and my ideas of a better strategy. I love writing about general things, my thoughts, friends,family and I have a fun time writing about my shopping escapades.
This is the second or the third saturday night and sunday I'm spending studying. If this was Chennai, saturday night would have been spent having dinner outside or a general night out with friends. Sunday afternoon would have been at A's place watching That 70's Show episodes or some movie. Shyam providing us with entertainment. The evening would inevitably end at Subway, with A finishing his sub and mine, and then going home to Thayir saadam. (next time you ask me why ur jeans size went up without you realizing, i'm going to direct you to this space)
All these things make me miss Madras more and more. But on the other hand I do love it here as well. I don't really know where it is that I want to end up. One of my best friends is getting engaged tomorrow and needless to say, I am not going to be there. I will probably miss her wedding as well. "Be prepared to miss a lot of things now that your here" was what I was told by my cousin. But I dont want to. I dont want to miss things that are happening with my family and my friends, with people whom I care for. At the same time, I dont want to forgo what I am doing here. I guess I'm speaking not just for myself, but a whole bunch of people in the same situation. I do not regret coming here, I will not regret any decision that I probably am going to take. Cause thats one question that I always ask to make things clear to myself "Ne, are you going to regret this decision a year or 10 years later?" If the answer is no, then I know what to do.

One thing that really puts me off, is people who come here and then complain that this place is not like India. Why the eff would it be? You are half way across the world, how can you even EXPECT it to be the same? I come across a whole bunch of these types. I dont like the supermarkets here. I dont like the way the vegetables taste. Its not like home where everything is so tasty. The Indian store is too expensive. What is this we are studying? Such a stupid subject. I just cannot refrain from asking why did they make this choice to even come here in the first place. Why would one spends lakhs of rupess to come and study here, and then diss the country? I feel that the whole experience and quality of education is wasted on them.
Some thing that I have tried to explain to people. I am not anti-any country. I do not love or hate any place. I will just probably gravitate towards an opportunity that will help me grow professionally and on a personal level as well. I have a special love for home because of the support system that exists there. Why wouldn't I love to be closer to my family and enjoy the benefits of a good education and a career? I did not come to a country half way across the world just for fun!

Shreg, Ne, Dcee and some more

The best birthday present I could have asked for landed up at my doorstep last Sunday night. I open the door to find Ms.Schmetterling standing there with one big suitcase. After recovering from the surprise, we quickly made plans to go to the mall the next day. I really cannot ask for a better shopping partner. There is this vibe you have to share to really enjoy the whole experience. I've tried in vain to feel the same vibe with other people, but I can REALLY shop with only a few! (Amma, you're included) The best buy was Shre's, a cheek stain by Tarte. Check out her blog for more info! My best buy was a pair of jeans. I have always had a huge problem buying jeans from India, especially Levis. They're made for size 2 women who have the same waist and butt size. Oh, and I love my white summer dress as well. The fact that it was on sale makes it even more attractive. Cant wait to wear it at Ann Arbor this summer!
We were off to Washington DC the next day. We walked and walked and did more walking. With my bad foot.(Do you hear this Shregs?) We did the touristy thing.Walked around the mall area, saw the Capitol building,the Washington monument, looked at all the
Smithsonian Museums. Thats what we did..Looked and then walked right past them.The next day we drove to Phily- Thats Philadelphia but I call it Phily to sound waaay cooler than I actually am- The day after that was spent at Baltimore. Walked around the Inner Harbour and took this boat ride. That boat ride was quite interesting I must say. A loud gay german guy got on board and started showing everyone his purchases and how much 'fun' shopping is. And then started talking in German to shregs. I almost died laughing. The only word I think I understood was ich. It was time for the flight back all too soon. Over all, a super fun birthday week. What are best friends for if they cant make the homesickness go away and sit with you in Class 722 for Copyright and Digital Law?

Tagged

Thanks to u-know-who(read : schmetterblllaaahhh) I was reminded how long its been since I carried a handbag. I am heavily into backpacks now. I havent carried once since I finished school and moved on to the cooler side sling bags with a couple of keychains with 'witty' sayings. 'I am not perfect, but im so close its scary' . Another one was 'Boys have two faults.Everything they say and everything they do'.I still have them somewhere as a part of college memorablia.

I am looking into my backpack right now and this is what I find...

The big compartment :)

. My Laptop, which is my best friend these days

. Multicolour folder with a bunch of resumes, papers, labels etc

. 10-15 Pamphlets of various companies which had come to school for some career fair(which I have to wait for another semester to apply, but got them anyway!!)

. A Lipton Raspberry Ice Tea Carton they were giving away

. Red Spare jacket, Im thanking my stars I have it with me now. I havent gotten used to checking the weather report and I dint know snow fall was predicted and its snowing. Going to play in it after class :)

. Super warm woolen scarf. Although I thought it was an ultra drab grey colour and cursed chennai for having such crappy winter clothing, its pretty good.

. Pink Gloves, my fav. Light nice pink with slight light brownish cream thread interwoven here and there to give it a warm glow and pink fleece lining.

. Small dabba with a hummus and jalapeno sandwhich.

. Kutty water Bottle

. Orange flowered address book

. gold and bronze bling wallet which has the $(notice I dint say $$$$). Also has cards, A's old visiting card :), pics of Nana and vaibs, Amma's is at home, Indian drivers licence, PAN Card, Senthil Lending library card(i miss uuuu), Kumaran Lending library card(which shut down when Senthil took over), bunch of folded bills from some shops, teeny weeny thin perfume bottles by BLV.

. Black Sunglasses case

. Umbrella borrowed from my friend when it rained the other day and I dint have one. I promised myself I will buy one tomorrow.

. Small dabba with my ischool USB drive which they were giving away at the research facility do


Now for the front compartment - This has essentially what my handbag usually does!

. 3 small packs of tissues - I am tissue freak. My wet tissue pack is over.mental note made to buy a new one

. School ID card

. Metro Bus smart trip card

. My house and apartment building keys

. 2 small butterfly clips

. 3 scrunchies in 3 diff colours

. A couple of bills - target, shoppers, and Bed,Bath and Beyond :)

. Tube of soap Slivers Amma bought for me in chennai. super cute. also in pink and white, in pretty shapes. hearts and stars. U never know when you need to wash your hands.

. 4 boxes of mints in different flavours - normal, extra strong, orange and sour berry. Im freakish about bad breath.

. 3 pens. in blue and black

. cocoa butter box, which Ammamma got from jaipur. its the BEST.

. Small hairbrush

. Random pieces of paper ive scribbled on

. Streetwear plain lip gloss

. Extra pair of specs

. Revlon diamond lipstick in pink crush. my abs fave. esp when mixed with lakme's mauve.

. Clinique glitter gloss

. Earbugs - these woolen things which fit on top of the ear and protect from the windchill. cant go out without it.

. Bronze earrings which I removed the other day and forgot to put back inside

. Empty mentos packet which I JUST threw away.

. USB Drive

. Lappie charger entangled with my cell phone charger. They're always together, and im always in a hurry so I just dump them in.

. Label from my dept with my name printed on it

. Honey and Oat Granola Bar

. Caboodles 2 in 1 Lip gloss. One side is the lightese of pinks and one side is clear with a bit of glitter

. 2 Handouts which they gave in class, folded and put inside

. Bill from USPS

. Small size adidas perfume

. Fav kutty mirror

. That spare mascara

. Extra Lens case

. Tiny lancome pink perfume. somehow always lands up in every bag i carry

. blue flowered notebook that goes everywhere I go

. Black Glitter eyeliner

. Cell Phone, but thats usually in my pocket

. Tube of hand cream

. Latest addition - Davidoff Cool water pocket perfume


I dont think I should add the stuff in my handbag at home for now... hmm. no wonder I was asked if I was going camping the other day! :)

Gloves and warm socks

OK so I have settled here. Waiting for my lappie to arrive. I was all excited waiting for my Dell to get here yesterday when I found out 31st jan was the SHIPPING date, not the delivery date. grr. so its back to square one. As most of u know, at the risk of sounding redundant, we cant SURVIVE without a comp. So different from how college was. I would just scribble something onto sheets of paper, wihout a margin and submit my 'assignment'. Not like the staff cared much anyway. The other day I spoke to two friends, at two different times of the day, in different locations and they both HAD to mention i was the fastest 'writer' among our group(or whatever you call it. group sounds too high school). Im serious. Learning to multi-task was a bonus too. I could effortlessly combine writing an assignment with listening to class, reading my novel,replying to SMS, laugh at Fadil and Girish's antics who were sitting behind us. Oh, and talking to harshini too. Is there any award for such talents? If there are and it involves a nice month long spa holiday as a prize I am a willing contenstant. Otherwise im not interested.hmm. A nice new wardrobe and matching shoes are ok too! Perfumes count as well.

I cant deny im missing home. I cant believe im saying this, but im missing the weather. After spending 22 3/4th long years complaining - Im sure I complained in baby language till i was about 11 months old.That was when I was supposed to have said my first word - By the time I get into the various winter paraphernalia-socks, shoes,scarf,sweater,coat, and gloves, its time to take them all off.

So any time your at College Park during the next couple of years, or any surrounding areas, irrespective of the weather, no prizes guessing who the one bundled up like a bear is. Or anywhere near Dallas or Ann Arbor for that matter!!!

And my nana dint think too much of my gtalk status message. Quoting him : your status message is ridiculous. grr. fine. hmph. im 22 and 3/4. I can get away with it. So whats my birthday present? I know you read my blog, so start working them grey cells. looouve.

Jet Lag and more..

This is a first for me I must say.. I woke up at 7 AM on a SUNDAY MORNING. If Amma knows she's going to faint!! All these years of trying to wake up Ne early.

I havent had the time to blog the last couple of days.Inspite of having two months to 'prepare' to leave, I couldnt escape the last minute stuff. One cannot pack a month in adavnce even if she wants to right??? My room looked like it was hit by a tornado. clothes, shoes and accessories all over the place. Being a girl, clothes are just one part of it. We have so much of other stuff. It pained me to leave behind so many things. Although I managed to squeeze in ALL of my new shopping and memorablia. 23 kgs * 2 is nothing. NOTHING I tell u. Those stupid suitcases take up 5 kgs EACH by themselves. Needless to say all my luggage was over-weight. Including my backpck. The said backpack was around 11 kgs. It was HUGE. I was the only one on the flight with such a big bag..on my back. Let alone people leaving way for me, they had to leave way for Mr.Heavy too. Now I know how the turtle felt. Carrying its house on the back and that kind of thing. My back went for a sixer. I was aching and paining the whole time. To make it worse, I was going from chennai-doha-washington DC. Which meant my flight left at 4 AM, reached doha at 7 AM THEIR time. And landed at D.C 7 30 THEIR time.
Essentially I was travelling in sunlight all through. I thought I prided myself on my ability to sleep through thick and thin. I survived 4 years of sleeping from home to SRM in the college bus. I swear I was jinxed. Everyone put 'kannu' on me all through. Ne can sleep anywhere. She can sleep standing was Amma's fav statement. sigh. I dint get a wink of sleep. I read, ate, watched Game Plan, an Italian and a french movie with subtitles. Also 'Friends' and 'Joey'. For the nth time.

I kept thinking about my family and friends. When am I going to see them again? A year later? Im missing out on getting to know my brother on a more grown up level. He'll be 16 now. The previous day, my house was literally bursting at its seams. Every one was at home. I felt so loved when they came to see me off. Im going to miss this. Mindless chatter and coffee, Talking to nana, cooking at home, making stuff my brother likes. Although now, i'm closer to A and to schmetterling. It was a weird feeling. Like as if I was outside Ne's body and looking at her getting ready. Saying bye. Hugs and kisses. Amma forbade tears. This is a happy occasion,higher studies. No crying.

Listening to everyone's first experiences in America, I must say mine has been awesome. Nana's friends came to receive me at the airport, and brought me to their place. A very smooth transition. This is just like home. I dint have to battle the cold,snow and lug 3 over weight cases with me. I am being taken care of so well. It feels wonderful to know such good people. At times like this, one realises the strength and importance of good relationships. Be it family or otherwise. This is something that will be understood as time goes by.

As nik said, The little baby has to eventually fly away from its nest, or run or walk away even if its too late and grows into an ostrich.

Madras Music And Dance Festival

I was wondering what to name this post. Initially, I started off with Madras Winter Music and Dance Festival. But then realised where I erred. The words 'Madras/Chennai' and 'winter' dont go together in the same sentence!I duly changed it.

I'd gone to see a dance performance last evening, by Alarmel Valli(Bharathnatyam) and Madhavi Mudgal(Odyssey). It was fab. Im not a connoisseur of dance, but I do know just that little bit to say if a performance is really good or not. Bharathnatyam as a dance is of straight lines, and a cutting smart performance. Odyssey is more slow and sensuous. The contrast between the two was quite pronounced. It was apparent especially during the first 3 dances which Madhavi and Valli did together. I felt that Valli stole the show and outclassed Madhavi. Maybe that was because odyssey being a slow dance has its own pace and beautiful when seen by itself. It was obvious during Madhavi's solo performance. Danced to hindustani music, a story about Krishna.

My favourite was the 3rd number, a thillana by the both of them.Composed by Balamurali Krishna, it was lively, and absolutely stunning. Valli's posture, movements and rhythm were superbly flawless. Madhavi was more fluid and smooth.
Valli finished with a slow dance, a tamil song sung for a baby Amman. Resplendent in white, the essence and expression was very nicely portrayed.

I generally like fast paced dance and needless to say the thillana was my favorite of them all. Amma and i enjoyed ourselves, and felt it was totally worth going early, and getting good seats.

Although I was sent for music classes(just like 99.99% of all south indian brahmin girls) I've always wanted to learn dance.Now its too late. They send girls to learn at a very young age, and now a 22 yr old girl prancing with 5 and 6 year olds will be slightly weird I must say.

This whole cultural experience takes on a whole new turn when we visited Dakshin Chitra today. Its this heritage center where they have recreated South India of the 1900s. Brick by brick, built ancient houses from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka. It was definitely beautiful. To enhance the feeling, there are numerous activities. We got our future told by one guy with a parrot which picks out cards, (where Hema and Aishu were told that they were actually supposed to be born as boys, and I shouldn't wear black for the next 6 months), did pottery,block printing. and took tons of pictures.

As soon as we reached, near the reception was a gift shop. True to ourselves, we went in there first. Where I bought the cutest kalamkari pouch bag. Hello. We have a reputation to keep up. How can we not go into a shop right in front of us?? I know I have lots to carry and am being warned about excess baggage everyday. But I have my priorities right. As many clothes, bags and shoes I can manage! :-)

A new chapter??

Jan 3rd is a bit too late to be wishing everyone, better late than never! so.. Happy New Year to all u guys!

I usually don't celebrate new year as such, Its just an excuse to meet up with friends and go out(which we usually aren't allowed to do on account of bad 'elements' and their drunken driving). I'm not complaining..As i've said before, I'm perfectly content sitting around and chatting with friends. The last new year when I was in college, we coudn't do anything even if we wanted to. Coz we had an exam the next day. Now, how lame is that? An exam on new year's day? There was this big rumour that for our seniors, the university released their exam results on new year's eve. So writing an exam dint seem that bad after all.

This year, just a few of us school friends went out to dinner, not too far(for reason, pls refer paragraph 1, line 2) and got back to my place, chatting till the wee hours. But this time around, I actually did have a reason to celebrate even if according to the telugu calendar Ugadi(telugu new yrs day) is a few months ahead. A new phase of life awaits me. Moving half way across the world, to become a student again. A new country, lifestyle, people,surroundings.
I've been told its not as bad as I think, that when they went 50 years back it was so different. By they I mean tons of relatives and family friends, who are American Citizens now. Drinking only Evian, and snapping away with their Nikons, Jansport backpacks and buying look alike ivory elephant carvings for their friends ar work. Will I end up like that? Living in a different part of the world, my kids speaking with a foreign accent.Or maybe, I'll end up living in India itself? Only time will tell.I will look at this blog a number of years later and recollect the mixed feelings I have right now.OR

A part of me is looking forward to this move. I am gearing up myself. A part of me wants to stay back here. With family and friends. But later on I don't ever want to regret my decisions saying I should have taken the opportunity when I had it.

For now, I celebrated this new year, for new beginnings and a new life ahead.*Cheers*