List 1

The 'why' - I love lists, and I needed a reason to make more.
The 'where'- I'm at home right now.
The 'with whom' - Raj's here too.
The 'what about' - 11 places that we want to see. Odd numbers are Raj's, even are mine.

1. Sydney - "Because I've always wanted to go", she says.
2. Kashmir - "Ever since Roja. Yes, I know Roja wasn't really shot there. But still", I say.
3. Paris - "Eiffel Tower, French food and wine. Need I say more?", she says.
4. Tahiti - "Bachelorette episode", I say. She giggles.
5. Kanyakumari - "You haven't been?", I ask, shocked. "No", she says, apologetically.
6. Auckland - "Essie Summers and Lord of the Rings. Not just Auckland, but all over NZ", I say.
7. Munnar - "I made a plan in undergrad, but none of my classmates came. I need to fulfill that dream", she says, with a really sad expression.
8. Salzburg - "For the Sound of Music", I say.
9. The Sahara - "I want to swim in sand", she says. "How?", I ask. "I'll figure that out after I get there", she says.
10. Bath - "Georgette Heyer. Need I say more? I am going to make another list of all the places that Heyer mentions in her books, and go to all of them. Yay!", I say.
11. Osaka - "My uncle stays there", she says.

My first list is done. Wait for more.

Cereal Bars

I used to like them..then I didn't like them..then I survived on them..and now I hate them.. - Circle of Life???

Pacific!

Adios Vaio...

I was supposed to do this three weeks ago, but better late than never. I did go to Old Town that Saturday. Its an amazing place, full of atmosphere. I dare any girl to go there and not fall in love. I spent the afternoon cooing over the most adorable knick-knacks. I bought lots of little things but my favorite one is the mom and baby chimp. Hopefully I'll remember to take a pic and post it. We'll see.

That trip seems so far back in the past. I feel that way because so much has happened since then. My old faithful Vaio gave up on me. I was in a deep depression for quite a while. But my new Dell XPS, is doing its best to revive my spirits.I had forgotten what a new laptop feels like - an untouched keyboard, an unsoiled screen. But Vaio, never fret, you are,were and will remain my true love. Nobody ever forgets their first laptop.

We've had quite a few adventures - haven't we? The day you fell down at Sbarro, and lost the DVD drive cover, the day you insisted on drinking some of my club soda, the day you started beeping non-stop, the day you refused to hibernate, the day you accidentally made me delete everything off of my ipod - we've been through thick and thin, you and I.

Lest anyone think that you were totally disaster prone, I will never forget the way you kept a lonely girl, who was away from home for the first time, such glorious company. You helped us negotiate a project filled with pitfalls in the eighth semester - us being Meh, Shetty and me. I'm sure they send their goodbyes. We've had some wonderful times together, but now its time for me to move on. Don't worry, I'm not going to recycle you, not any time soon. You're Obi-Wan, to my new Luke. He needs your wisdom, that you have "wisely" backed up. I have also not forgotten the fact that you can still speak through an interpreter - another monitor.

Vaio, our days together may have ended, but in my heart, you will always reign supreme. Au Revoir!

P.S. Too lazy to post the chimp pic!

Exploring San Diego - Part 1

I've been in sunny SD for the last four months, and I'm sorry to say that I haven't seen too much of it. Yes, the obligatory couple of beaches - Torrey Pines, La Jolla Coves/Shores, Mission Bay, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach..ok, I know that's more than a couple.

I've been to Coronado, and a little around La Jolla, and the Aircraft Museum on Miramar Road.

I should be ashamed of myself. There's so much to see/do in SD. Therefore, here is my mid-year resolution.

Henceforth, every weekend, I shall venture out into this city, armed with a camera, a hat, sunscreen and my new Fossil goggles (I love them). I shall explore as much as possible over the summer and give my faithful readers my "unique" perspective of SD.

This weekend, my destination will either be Old Town or Little Italy, or maybe both. We will know on Monday.

Let me propose a toast - I am boldly going where I have never gone before..Good luck to me..Salut!

PS: I've also been to Sea World..Thrice....

Slow down, step back and enjoy the moment......

The last six years have been very eventful. Actually, make that seven. First comes the so-called "turning point" of your life - a.k.a Std XII, followed by the innumerable entrance exams. Then after you have chosen how you're going to spend the next forty years (I mean - a career, if you can't follow my train of thought), you have to sit through innumerable lectures, bear the torture of umpteen number of exams and laugh at an even larger number of PJs sitting in the OAT. Well, the last is only for PESITians/PESITites..Guys, do we have an official name yet?

Somewhere in between, you get suckered into the swamp of GRE/GATE/placements/CAT - even before you know what it is that you really want to do. The only thing that gets you through is the conviction that better things are beyond, but little do you know what awaits...

Finally, you're past the four years, with a degree in your hand, gleefully looking to the future, already nostalgic about the past. Suddenly you realize, life has just become that much harder - age DOES mean responsibility, your parents haven't been lying to you. You've never really realized how many decisions your parents made for you until you started living alone. Ever thought about how hard it is to pick out every single thing in your life - starting from toothpaste, to food, to clothes, to laundry detergent? Did you ever have to go to the department store every single week, without fail, back home?

By this time, you're dimly aware, the best years of life are indeed behind you.

But then one day, you end up sitting in front of the fire, in a lovely room, with a stranger playing absolutely divine music on the baby grand, and you realize, there's nowhere you'd rather be - than here, now...

Rajshri

For the last couple of weeks, I've been catching up on childhood and teenage memories - the overwhelmingly sweet productions of Rajshri films. So far, I've covered HAHK, HSSH and Vivaah. I'll probably watch MPK today. Its been great. I enjoy these films as much now as I did when they were first released. Maybe its the simplicity, innocence, whatever. It really doesn't matter. All that I care about is that, for a couple of hours, (maybe more :D), I'm transported into a colorful, musical world, where everyone constantly smiles at everyone. I may not like to live in such a world, but I definitely don't mind being a visitor for short periods of time.

My absolute favorite is Vivaah. How can anyone not like this movie? Its just incomprehensible to me. Every conversation that Prem and Poonam have is so meaningful and poignant. And the songs. Any mention of Vivaah is incomplete without recognition of the soundtrack. Mujhe Haq Hai - What a composition! I can hum it forever.

I'm really eager to start seeing MPK, so I'll stop now. Oh, before I do that, two of my friends deserve to be recognized on a public forum. First, Nikku, for being my companion-in-crime, especially for Vivaah. That was a real fun evening. And second, Ranj, who recognized the line that I put as my status on GTalk - you rock, Ranj! Absolutely brilliant. For the curious, the line was - "Jab Sardi Ho Toh Barf Ki Paani Nahin Peena Chahiye". Which, by the way, is a TRUE fact.