A Fresh Beginning

I never thought that I would ever be too busy to post on my blog or to read posts of my favorite bloggers. It has happened now and I am not too happy about it. I started this blog last year and whatever crap I wrote here gave me immense satisfaction and an outlet to burst out. Moreover, reading blogs of unknown strangers (who I now feel I know since ages) gave me a sense of belonging. I am too busy to write posts and read blogs regularly now and it feels that some part of me is locked up and getting suffocated. I feel guilty when I don't post for long periods and then coming back to the blogosphere is even more difficult. It is like facing a close family member whom you have been avoiding since long.
I have lost track of what is happening in the lives of my blog friends and I feel left out. Is this weird? My blog friends would know, I guess.

A quick review of what I did all the while I was missing from blogosphere:
~I got my Visa (yippeee).
~I read MANY books, To Kill A Mockingbird, Rebecca, The Kite Runner, The Firm; to name some of them.
~I entertained guests and relatives at home. Many relatives came to visit and live with us for few days because they know I will be leaving soon for a long time. That was sweet of them. I had an awesome time gossiping, shopping, eating with them. I have gained a lot of weight after these visits and screwed my daily routine, but it was all worth it. I will miss them all in Belgium.
~I completed my French classes. Yes, sadly my French classes are over. My teacher can't continue for the next level so I have to now learn on my own.
~GO came back from US and I watched 2 movies (17 Again and Paying Guest) back to back with him again, after knowing that the last time I did that was a disaster. It wasn't so much of a disaster this time, except that Paying Guest is the most pathetic movie that I ever watched. By-the-way, Zac Efron looks cute in 17 Again.

It was enough to keep me occupied if you add it up with social networking, trying to read business related books and articles, and sleeping :)

I can see that life ahead will be even more hectic. My School has e-mailed a list of recommended pre-MBA reading and will make us take 3 online courses (Stats, Financial Accounting and Economics) in July. I have to shop and pack and generally prepare for going.

But, all said and done, I have no intentions of staying away from my blog, like I have been doing for some time now. I have realised that it is important to me, and I am going to make it a part of my routine. It is strange how we neglect many things, knowing that they hold a lot of value for us. Like family, friends, learning new things, and in this case, blog :)

It has started to sink in, now that the initial excitement is getting stale, that I am indeed going for at least 13 months. Away from people who care for me, food that I love, and the life that I am used to. It will be fun and a great learning experience, but I think it would also be difficult. All I have in my survival kit is my enthusiasm, passion (which I hope won't fizzle out too soon), common sense and intellect. I have realised that another survival tool is my blog, just rant here and it becomes easy to get along with things. More so, when unknown strangers (with blogs that I am only too familiar with) post comments that are all concerned, supportive, hopeful, energizing and considerate at the same time. I love my blogger friends. There comments are sometimes all that you need for a doze of energy :)

I changed my blog template. The new one looks fresh and professional, and goes with my present mood; to make a fresh beginning.

Of Drinks, and Cigarettes, and Books

Okay, so last night I went out with my cousin Chummu and had two cocktails and five cigarettes. I needed it, the break I mean; the break from monotony. Yesterday I tried a Gin cocktail for the first time; usually I am a Vodka or Wine person. To tell you the truth, I could hardly tell the difference between Vodka and Gin. Probably because the Gin was mixed with other things to make my cocktail. I wanted to have more drinks but did not, since we had to come home later and I did not want Dad to suspect that we had been up to some mischief when according to him I had taken Chummu to check out an awesome new Pizza place.

Last night was fun. I smoked for the first time and smoked five cigarettes in a row, which later made me feel that all my innards are on fire and that my intestines have turned to ashes. I have tried to smoke twice before but could never suck it in. Last night I managed to achieve that feat and in amazement mixed with a sense of achievement stopped only after five cigarettes and when I had started feeling queasy. However, I am not going to have a smoke again, never. I had a very disturbed sleep last night because of those five bloody cigarettes.

Anyhow, I and Chummu had a sort of reunion yesterday. It had been a reeaallly long time since we talked like that. It was good, everything, the drinks, the gossip, the sleeping together, even those cigarettes in some way. I also had a talk with GO (My George Orwell) after having my drinks and cigarettes, and it was fun too. I giggled a lot while talking to him. Usually I don't giggle, I laugh. Was I flirting? Naaah. GO is an old friend, I can't flirt with him after all these years. I don't think so!!! However, I know I usually am a big flirt after a couple of drinks. But no, I wasn't flirting with GO. Oh well, I sense some confusion here :-)

Oh, the best part of last evening was that I bought two books. GO was after my life to read Nineteen Eighty-Four, so I finally bought that and another GO-recommended book, in fact his favourite, To Kill A Mockingbird. That makes me a rich book lover for sometime. I and GO have plans of catching up this Saturday. Its been a long time since we met, so GO would drive all the way from Noida to Gurgaon to meet me. That's sweet of him, ain't it?? :-)

Introducing My(!) George Orwell

This is a special post because here I introduce My George Orwell. Yeah, My George Orwell. Everybody knows George Orwell, the author of the famous book Nineteen Eighty-Four, but My George Orwell is not the same person. So My George Orwell or GO, for the sake of brevity, is a friend with whom I discuss books, blogs, music and many other things. He has introduced me to some wonderful things and I love my conversations with him. To begin with, it's refreshing to know a guy who can talk intellectually about books and music and technology in the same breath. Being from the Engineering background, most of my guy friends are either useless computer nerds or else too much into girls and movies, shallow I should say. Books are something most of them stay away from and even if they read, it is mostly autobiographies or self-help books. Fiction is a far-cry for them and if they do try a work of fiction then their reading efforts are limited to Chetan Bhagat and Sydney Sheldon.

Now, GO knows his books. He is the only guy in my friend circle who can make me feel ignorant when it comes to discussions about books. We give each other a lot of gyan and I just luuurve talking to him. Anyway, now why do I call him GO? I told him today that since most of our conversations are intellectually stimulating, I would like to post them at times and therefore I wanted to give him a pseudonym. He absolutely did not want to be called by his pet name so after much thought I asked him which was his favourite book. He replied that it's difficult to single out one book but still the best would be, To Kill A Mockingbird (I told you, GO knows his books!) but since the author of this book is a female, I couldn't have given him her name as a pseudonym. The next favourite book that came a close second for GO is Nineteen Eighty-Four. Moreover, GO tried to convince me for a good ten minutes yesterday that how important it is to read Nineteen Eight-Four, since I haven't read it yet. Hence I call him My George Orwell now and I think it suits him. I could have called him by his real name and there is no real need for a pseudonym but it struck my fancy that I want a pseudonym here. This makes it important that GO can't reveal his identity when he posts comments on my blog. You are reading that My George Orwell??

Our conversations mostly are something like this:

Me: you know something... yesterday's conversation triggered some thought process

GO: about books, music?

Me: yeah, i was thinking of what you said about those books..... Namesake, Gone With The Wind, The God of Small Things

GO: ok, go on

Me: I think you have a good point there. They ARE girlie kinda books.... a guy won't enjoy them as much as a girl

GO: not chicklit.... but feminine

Me: yeah not chicklit. They are wonderful books, anybody would enjoy them but yes feminine

GO: so I won't read Gone With The Wind then :-)

Me: haha... I still think Gone With The Wind is worth it. I mean I have read Great Expectations and Oliver Twist and liked them despite the fact that they were all about guys

GO: me too me too.... but I read the abridged versions

Me: oh don't do that!! abridged versions spoil the fun

GO: I was in 7th or 8th at that time

Me: have u read Pygmalion? By George Bernard Shaw

GO: No. He is known more for quotes than books I think. He has said so much

Me: yeah true

GO: father of one-liners

Me: btw i share my birthday with him

GO: oh wow

Me: couldn't help bringing it up. 26th july.... me and GB Shaw.... 2 great writers :-)

GO: sun signs, birthdays and girls

Me: yepp... anyway... Pygmalion is a play. something like Shakespeare's works but more modern

GO: hardcore literature? come to think of it I haven't read hardcore literature much

Me: me neither. But I love classics any day. That was such a romantic period, I feel drawn towards such books. So, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Shakespeare, Leo Tolstoy, GB Shaw all work well for me

GO: Fountainhead?

Me: yeah read that too. Ayn Rand is awesome. And the other book.... whatsitsname?

GO: Atlas Shrugged

Me: Atlas Shrugged yeah....

GO: they are difficult to comprehend

Me: you know there is a school of thought based on Ayn Rand philosophy

GO: yes, about individualism and all that

Me: yeah, the idea is wonderful. It does provoke thoughts

GO: oh yeah, talking of abstract books... u read ulysses?

Me: well, no. ashamed as I am of not reading Ulysses but I haven't

GO: don't be. I read 1 page and then left it. It took the author 7 years to write it.

Me: wow

GO: read Mitch Albom? Tuesdays With Morrie? Five People You Will Meet in Heaven?

Me: naah

GO: wonderful books... when you feel low and small in life, read these two books

Me: I love feel good books

GO: :-)

Me: hey I want a good pseudonym for you. what shall it be?

GO: call me KB... sounds like a Russian spy's name

Me: yeah, similar to KGB :-)

GO: yep

Me: hey have you read a book called The First Lady.... too much of sex, but good plot

GO: author?

Me: can't recall his name. Most of his books are like that .... sleazy :-)

GO: you read all of his books? :-)

Me: hey this Nothing Else Matters song that you were talking about is amazing

GO: yeah.... i have started singing.... so close no matter how far

Me: yeah beautiful song

GO: I am crazy for classic rock

Me: and the guitar is awesome

GO: okay, listen to this song at least twice then I will give you a link

Me: :-)

GO: a performance by another band that played it on Cello.... amazing instrumental and video

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=rbTozgoj9OQ&feature=related

Me: hey it was beautiful.... i heard it thrice!!! So sad and beautiful

GO: sad and beautiful, yes

and it continues like that. I and GO can talk like that for hours and it's amazing. I mean you can never get tired talking of books. There are so many books out there, so many genres, so many authors that each conversation about them seems new and exciting.

The New Year Begins

I watched Ghajini on the first day of the new year and really liked it despite the violence and just okay music (except Tu Meri Adhoori Pyas). I had a mind to write a review of the movie but I just read a post by Chandni, who is one of my favourite bloggers. She wrote a review of RNBDJ and it was plagiarized word by word by a certain Ms Salty Sea Breeze who posted it on her blog as her own. I feel offended for Chandni and that kills the mood to right a review now. I will write it some other time.

Anyway, the other day I read some lines by Vikram Seth that really touched my heart. I will dedicate them (even though they are not mine :-)) to The Unsung Psalm whose writings I enjoy. Here goes:

Some men like Jack and some like Jill

I'm glad I like them both but still

I wonder if this freewheeling

Really is an enlightened thing,

Or is its greater scope a sign

Of deviance from some party line?

In the strict ranks of Gay and Straight

What is my status: Stray? Or Great?

A few years back I read A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth and found it unnecessarily stretched out with irrelevant details although the plot and its setting were really good. There were many things that I liked about this book but the unnecessary length killed my interest in it when I had managed to read only about three-fourth of the book. It was the only book of my life that I had not been able to finish and I blamed Vikram Seth for that. However, when I read the above lines of poetry by him they salvaged his reputation in my eyes :-). Also, I found that Vikram Seth did his schooling from my hometown Dehradun (Welham Boys and Doon School), so that kind of settled the fact that I would definitely read more books by this author :-)

Luckily, the day I watched Ghajini I found that there was a Sale at the Om Book Shop in MGF Mall at Gurgaon. A sale and that too at a book shop is too tempting to ignore and so I went inside telling myself that I would not buy anything but would just take a tour. I already have around 5-6 still unread and good books lying around at my home and I had told myself that I would not buy any more books until I finish those that I already own. However, the shop offered a great bargain on many books and the shining hard covers of books had an almost lusty appeal. I think everyone would understand if I say that I finally did buy books but only 2 of them. One is of course by Vikram Seth (An Equal Music) and another is a collection of spooky short stories :-). It has some stories by authors like Edgar Allen Poe and Charles Dickens and has a beautiful cover, hence I bought it.

I got these two books for just 500 bucks, can you believe it? Such beautiful, hardbound, original books together cost just 500 Rupees!! Wow what an amazing start to the new year :-)