'Chill'

That's become my word for the year. I think it might stay the word of the year 2006 as well.

Nothing captures the current state of 21-24yr olds more than that word. My friend/trainee-colleague Dasha introduced it to me sometime in September, and it's so...chill.

Chill...it's better than the word 'relax', which implies that you're stressed over something, even when u;re not.. Why stress out about anything at all? Just Chill, dude =p

And when saying 'Chill', you gotta almost do the Rock-concert-hand-symbol..you know, the one that is supposed to represent the devil, except u tuck your thumb in, so that it's just your little finger and pointer finger that are sticking out.
Maybe i'll add a picture of us doing the sign sometime this week when I'm bored.

Chill...the perfect word for travelling, especially..and the perfect word to describe one's evenings..

Chill, get some beer, have your friends around, chill...

I think I'll chill tonight =)

The Highlands of India

..That would be what Tourism Karnataka calls Coorg, or Kodagu..I've heard lots about this place since hmmm..Year 2000, when i actually discovered it existed.

Interesting facts about Coorg:
1. Contributed a lot of hockey players to the Indian Hockey team...and ironically enough, we met a Natioanl hockey player (Vikram) who was on his way to Coorg to play a hockey match. Met him twice in fact, at the bus-station and two mornings later at the Hotel where we had breakfast. Hotel Udupi (i think it was called)...gooooood masala dosa.
2. A lot of Coorgi men entered the Indian Army as well.
3. Coorgi women are treated as equal to Coorgi men.
4. Coorgi women tie their Saris differently..it's amazing how much one can do with 6feet of CLOTH.
5. The people are famous for their drinking...which is a LOT.
6. Produces GOOD coffeeeeeeeeeeeee

Last weekend, Pavol, Joanna and I joined Abhishek to his family's coffee plantation/farm house thingy in Kutta, Coorg. It helps to set terrible expectations before a trip---we expected 9degrees climate, rain, rain and more rain, terrible bus journeys (which was realized for one of bus journeys), and so on.

Sooooooo, it DIDN'T rain at all..we experienced nice, pleasant climate, and was LOADS FUN. Abhishek, his younger sis Abhilasha, his Mom, Aunt, Uncle, GrandUncle, Chefs, Drivers were all soooooooooo hospitable and friendly! We really felt like family, and let me not get started on the amazing FOOD. It was after eating wonderful Kerala food that I planned to start dieting, after the weekend was up...hasn't materialized, DUH =p

Besides food and family, we went to the Iruppu falls (trekked 0.75km =p), slept on the grass after a delicious lunch, crossed the Karnataka border into Kerala, went into the national park and saw an elephant, spotted deer, and Indian Bison (or Gaul..they're such splendid animals!), and saw stars at night. This was the first day.

The second day we drove 3 hours to visit the Tibetan settlement, shopped (TWO scarfs =p), had funny lunches, had coffee back at home, chilled, walked through the rice fields and drove through the coffee and pepper plantations, went across the river (50% of which is theirs), played in hay, came back and saw the stars again..and i saw my SECOND-EVER SHOOTING SCHTAR! =p

And we had loads of GOOD cofffee, laughed a lot, CHILLED more =)

Soooooooo.......definitely going back =)




Yeh, that's almost everything we did..

And this Friday evening, Joanna, Mahima and I go to Delhi..will be there for the whooollee of next week. Plan is to go shopping, Jaipur-ing, Taj Mahal-ing, shopping, eating, go-to-a-wedding-ing, shopping.

Most exciting part of the Delhi trip would have to be the 36-40hr train ride from Bangalore to Delhi......heard there would be Eunuchs getting onto the train! how exciting!!

Tuuurrkkeeeyyyy Daaaaaayyyyy

Last Thursday, 24 Nov '05, the trainees in Bangalore celebrated Turkey Day or Thanksgiving Day at The Only Place (steak-house of B'lore).

Big Thanks to Evan (the craaazzzyyy american), Robyn and Chris for organizing such a fantastic night for all 37 of us!! It was wicked fun..especially when everyone tried toasting together..and I believe Evan did so with an empty glass =p

The turkey wasn't good at all..the mashed potatoes decent, the sweet potatoes serious sweeeeet, the cranberry sauce like melted jam, the apple sauce yuck, i didn't touch the other veges, the baked sweet corn verrrrryyy nice Saar...and the Indian wine was ggoooodd..the pumpkin pie i didn't like, but the apple pie ROCKED...i think i missed out on some more of the menu, but u get the picture..a LOT of food!

we all rolled to I-Bar later that night...was a baaddd idea 'cos everyone was too full to really dance! But we did so anyway..it's crazy-fun with Geena-ji, Evan, Alex-ji, Samuel-Saar and David-Saar especially..hehee..party ppl =D

Ahhh...haven't felt hungry since Thursday night!!




That's Evan and Dasha and Mahima and Alex and Samuel and Harriet and Pavol and David and 30 more ppl =p

I don't miss Home..

or maaayyybeeeee I do...

I'm going through these phases of home-sickness..It mostly happens: 1. on Saturdays, which (for some reason) are 2. also the days when my dear trainee-friends leave for their home-countries, and 3. are also majorly-boring days especially when you have fallen sick and can't drink Rs50 beer at night on account of that.

It sucks to be sick in a foreign country mainly 'cos it reaaallyy turns you home-sick. I was in the clinic last Wednesday, and was waiting for 30mins for my turn to see the doc. Ok, 30mins ain't THAT bad..it could get worse in India..but when u're in this daggy clinic, that uses a manually operated lift, that has crappy flourescent lighting, and NO posters, nothing, and a receptionist who seems to be perpetually pissed (off), you REALLY wish you were back home at Lagoon View's Liew Clinic to see Dr Liew (the (sometimes) nice doctor who has been ur doc since 1990)

AND, you reeeeeaalllyyy wish you were back home in your nice big bed, with warm water at the push of a convenient microwave button, plus Mommie to yell at you for having chocolate even when you are ill..

The best thing to do when you're homesick in a foreign city, I realized, is to: GET OUT OF THE CITY U'RE IN..even if it means going to a random place called Shravanabelagola (i'm not kidding) to climb up six-hundred-and-freaking-four-teen steps to see a huge monolithic (and naked, mind you) statue being covered by scaffolding 'cos of some renovation deal. Yup, so that's how I spent my Sunday (yesterday).

In more detail: Joanna (who's perpetually sick of B'lore on weekends) and I woke up at 6am to take the 7am bus to Shrava-bla-bla. After paying Rs68 and sleeping on a rickety bus for 3.5hrs, we got off, had Special (Rs6) coffee and Masala Dosa (Rs 14) at Hotel Raghu, and started climbing the mountain (barefeet, price to store ur slippers: Rs0.50). Saw the statue, appreciated the view, and talked and CHILLED for 3hrs, got down again and walked around the town for 0.75hr, and went back to Hotel Raghu for TWO Special Rs 6 coffees, before boarding the bus back to Bangalore. We slept for another 4hrs, and got back home VERY well-rested. Hit the sack at 10.30pm on account of 'being tired'..woke up at 1am for a phonecall, 5am 'cos it got too hot, and finally at 8am, was at work by 9.15am.

Came to work and read Fida's email on meeting Triin at Tanjong Pagar and then heading to Lau Pa Sat for dinner....and felt homesick all over again.

Drats..

HAMPI !!!!!

amazing..astounding...beautiful...COMPLETE chill-out place...

How can anyone even BEGIN to describe Hampi...it's just such a wonderful place to CHILL..that's it..that's all I can say..oh, and it has a bunch of temples and ancient ruins, and S'poreans can go view their very first Shooting Stars !!!

Hampi's just mind-blowing..especially if you go with 6 other reaallly fun Europeans and a very funny Indian guy =p The company makes allll the difference =) but I'm sure I learnt a lot more about Europe than about India over this weekend. Oh well, learning's learning =p


As my Dad would say...simply Gorgeageus =p


And I daresay, I liked Hampi more than Goa..(I know!! Blasphemy =p)

Fines will be imposed....

....on clubs/bars/gawd-knows-what-else, that has dancing after 11pm in the city of Bangalore.

Dancing....after 11pm...not allowed....

what-the-ficken is this all about?? This in India!!! where everrryyyonnneeeeeeeeee likes to Dance..and i mean EVERYONE..

we're still trying to comprehend this..and what's more difficult to understand is that the clubs actually FOLLOW the new law...and stop the music at 11pm...ELEVEN PM..not-even-twelve-am-kind-of-11-pm..

like, seriously

but anyway, we're strong ppl and we're culturally sensitive and know how to embrace another country's lifestyle and all that jazz, so we survive anyway...parties continue at some trainee- house =)

You know you're in for a rough month when….

you get the date-day relationship all mixed up.

Like me this week.
I thought that Monday was 1 Nov, Tuesday 2Nov, Wednesday 3 Nov, Thursday 4Nov, Friday 5Nov.
(my defense: only ‘cos Monday is the 1st day of the week =p…naah..i just haven’t looked at a calendar in ages).

AND so Of course…I was wrong.

Believe me, you can get into a whole LOT of trouble for that little error

The world (and by that, I mean people living in the world) needs to learn how to laugh and relax sometimes…And perhaps I need to reduce laughing and relaxing sometimes.

And sometimes, all you need to say to move on is…’Fuck it’.

Have a good weekend y'all..I'll try