Got to do wat I always wanted to do: Thing no. 1: Dance!!!!!!!!!

Dance!!!

Let me tell u y dance has always been my personal favourite...Itz coz I have some of my most favourite memories of school n college associated with it.......

Pravs, CJ, Shila n me have been part of organizing dance programmes in school every other year...on "Teacher's Day"....Wat started off when we were 10 years old and went on till 2007 was not only our love for dance...but the unassuming fun that comes along with it........

School

We were not trained classical dancers...n so v never made it to any of the solo classical dance competitions....n d other group dances that happened.......dealt with folk songs.......while all v wanted to dance to was filmi....yes...very filmi numbers.....


So, what we chose to do was to organize our very own dance numbers...with 0% intervention from the teachers...Now u know y we always performed for "Teacher's Day"...as we were free to choreograph our own steps...n be gals.....yes ....I used to always be a boy in the folk dances...as they had a shortage of good male dancers then..I hope my guy classmates r not reading this... this newly discovered freedom to perform d way u want to... was just amazing.....

Also, our dances always featured the lesser known mortals who used to turn out to be dancing sensations post our performances......

V loved the practices....V loved the fun that came with it.....v loved the bonding that it created amongst us....not to forget the fights......

V danced to Bali Sagoo's Chura Liya Album ...when v were 12....n when remix was just out in India....

When I think of the steps....I can still laugh till I cry...yes..yes...The typical Cluny steps.....But what the hell...it was our most controversial dance performance till date....

D captains misplaced the audio cassette after the show...n I made requests to all the participants to contribute Rs5 per head....1 member refused...n this signalled the start of our "Love -Hate" relationship.....

Dance Numbers

10...5th STD .... Jhoot Bole Kauwa Kate n Gentleman's Ottagotti Katti ko or something which sounds like that:)
11...6th STD........Tu Shayar Hain.......
12..7th STD....Yeh Sama...Bali Sagoo Remix
13..8th STD....Daiyya re Daiyya......Madhumathi
14...9th STD....Bolo Tara Tara..n Hey Baby Dont Break my heart.......
15..10th STD..Co-choreographed a couple of interesting events... Chaiyya Chaiyya n romantic songs with children:)

Dance Competitions

I was in the blue house...n it had never lost a dance competition.....Mach n Komal were like its flagbearers....

Our final year in school earned us a trip to Delhi n Agra for an entire week...it was d most loveliest trip ever.....different matter that Im a born hypocrite at times...n u will hear me repeat this after every other trip.........

Pre-Delhi trip....v had decided on Jiya Jale....had got a gal n her choreographer bro to teach us all the steps....

I stil remember Mach getting all the steps in the 1st shot from the video of the song...to the MALLU lines....Swati was a lot better...I was gasping n panting for breath:)

Post Delhi trip.......V were asked to change the song from Jiya Jale to something moredecent.....n v were devastated....Coz v had a sure winner with all the steps n mind u...xtremely decent steps.....also v had spent days practicing for...n they had to cancel it....

Thats when v went in for Dol Bajne Laga from Virasaat...n I must tell u...that Swats n me....made a conscious silent protest by not participating in it.....but my team danced with all their might...n rocked the stage.....that it was a different matter that we won the competition.....But I guess....v wudnt have displayed the same amt of energy had it not been for the all drama n song changing exercise.....

Different matter...that exactly a year later...when v went to school for the annual function, there was a dance performance on Jiya Jale.....Now U know....I was definitely Jalafying........

College

Mount Carmel was the name.....n to this date.....d 1st pictures that come to my mind...r of the numerous extra -curricular activities that this college boasted of......U had avenues to do anything u ever wanted to.....

Pravs made it big in drama in college......

I was too confused n busy trying to understand Trig n Calculus ...My fav topics in Maths....till date.....I used to enjoy them so much...that I forgot abt making the most of the other avenues...that Mounts had to offer......

The energy in Mounts is always high.....be it the elections.....or the Cul-lah or anything under the sun...

Bindu, Pravs, Mach, Komal, CJ,Gayu,Sai,Rose...Most of Cluny's dancing troupe had descended on Mounts...n had occupied the 2nd and the 3rd places in the Fresher's Day Dance Competition..........


The Mount's Dance Group has always offered some of the finest performances I have seen till date. I used to yearn to be a part of the groups...but I knew that my talent was elsewhere......ya ...right...in Trig ...in Calc....n in dancing with my pals.....

Engineering

I was seriously out of touch.........Though Dance has always remained my most serious stress-buster till date...I was just not able to dance to anybody's tunes.....

When Shilpa Prakash.....a professional dancer....suggested that v put in a performance.....I was laughing....when Supriya opted out.....I ran to Praveena.....largely coz the steps were getting all difficult for me....n Pravs was my only hope....


After Pravs jumped in.....things got soo much better....she wud learn the steps from Shilpa n teach me......V danced to Fanaaaaaa from Yuva.....yes....V loved A R Rehman.....


This gal had like different steps for every other beat....remembering them was a pain....n learning them a bigger pain...but d biggest pain of them all was endured by my legs.....as we were almost doing a continous non-stop practice 2 days prior to the competition...I had to use the sprain relief sprays to climb even 1 step.....


But its a different matter that when u r on stage.....its magic...d pain vanishes.....n there is so much of energy n life around u......try dancing with Pravs...n u will know what I mean....that after every performance...I used to feel so drained out...n so completely n extremely ecstatic....its difficult to explain....


Our dancing joys were back after soo many years...n both Pravs n me...enjoyed every bit of it.....

V danced to another number just before v left coll...but this was in PESIT....

2006:

Pravs was attending Shiamak Davar's dance classes....n I used to feel very jealous of the fact that I cudnt be a part of it...simply coz I never seemed to have the time for it....


Pravs invited me over to one of the dance classes where she had taken me along as a partner...n they taught us different dance forms....Salasa....My personal fav...Rock n Roll...n lots more...


I used to always feel that I danced with a way over the board energy than was required...But i felt hopelessly out of place...when I watched my tutor for the day.....dance....The entire room was bustling with oodles of energy n they were just fantastic....
How can I forget Monsoon Miracles n Bubbles in 2006?....Monsoon Miracles had Pravs, Shils n me teach dance to kids n v were adjudged the best choreographers!!!!.....Cluny steps did have an impact after all:)
In Bubbles, Pravs n me were the Salsa n Govinda Dancing Santas for Christmas......Luckily v had masks:)

2007:

In office, there was this dance show that was held as part of the office celebrations....n even before I knew it....v had a team of 4.....n I was back with my dancing shoes....


V danced for like a chain of 4 numbers...n had great fun doing it.....I still remember commending my team mate ...who was a Project Lead....a mother of a 11 year old....a wonderful dancer...I was wondering where she got her energy from.....I was also wondering if I wud do anything like this ....after say ten years....I think I should.....


V carried the dance numbers to the shores of IGIA school as part of the Chrysallis celebrations...n Im sure v enjoyed it more than the children....v started practice a night before the show at my place...wher d steps were modified....n new dancers identified.....I was d only 1 who featured in the new n the old versions....poor me....used to get so confused with the steps...
The old version had simple steps.....
The new version thanks to Pravs n the overwhelming Shiamak Davar influence had complicated steps....

Finally!!

Hope to get back to our dancing days sometime!!!

Got to do wat I always wanted to do: Thing no. 2: Drama!!

I have always had drama queeny friends......so being one does not take too much of an effort...

Drama in school meant mugging up dialogues, having to wear moustaches n beards.....I used to always get to play the male roles....Had to do with my short hair-cut...yes...hair -cut went a long way in deciding if u wud play a boy or a gal.....

What time is the 3 O'clock train was my 1st dialogue in the 10th STD drama competition......I was a hopeless actor....I was wondering y I got to play the part in the 1st place.....we represented a group of over 100 students and my play had just 3 actors.....me....Aksha n a ghost.....atleast the ghost vesha did not have dialogues...cudnt they have given me that atleast???


It was all coz of Shwetha...my director....that I had the courage to go up on stage...she told me to be myself.....which was difficult considering the fact that I was a playing a stooopid dumbest of the dumb person's role in the play....

My co-star...Aksha had transformed on stage.....giving me natural frights n scaring me n making me look all stoopid.n dumb.. when she repeated "What time is the 3 O' clock train?" wallah dialogue thrice......

All said n done....our play did end up fine....unlike the last year's play ...where I was merely wondering if I shud keep my face hidden under a newspaper...as that was all the role demanded:)

How can I end drama in school without mentioning the Green House' Play.....The most controversial play ever...heeheehee..I still admire the wit of the person who suggested to use the underground area under the stage for Gayu ghost to appear...or fall:)....n Merriyet burning agarbathis to get the smoky effect....they were innovative alright...but unfortunately such ideas can get u into trouble in a school like ours.....where they didnt quite like surprises!!!

Office

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=iDF_DwRYSlA

Yup.....there's actually a video of me overacting......as I discovered years later that this is all I cud ever do......

UTC Green

There are foundations that do short videos or street plays to promote social causes. V wanted to do oneto encourage ppal to do simple things like saving power, water n paper.....

A few moments I will cherish:

The meeting where in Visal-Mohanlal (One of the most versatile actors in Malayalam cinema) of UTC team accused me of not having spent any time on the video on saving water part.. And the response he got…I would only call it amazing...This scene was shot in the men's loo and he was accusing me of not having helped them shoot the video:)

Nirup relating the incident where in poor old Visal had to wash his hands so many times as the scene had to be re- shot several times owing to people visiting the rest room on and off.

Sameer, who jumped into the act after I was only laughing my way through all the scenes and Keerthi was of the opinion that we will only end up with a comedy movie at this rate

My personal favourite........

We had asked Muthu to be our client. We told him that we would call him and he would have to talk to us….in the client like tone and so on…We start shooting the scene….We call him and this is what we hear….”The Vodafone number you have called is currently busy, please dial later”…..God….we laughed till we were crying...

The scene in the conference room: This was initially shot with Suresh and me waiting for Keerthi and Sameer to join us for the conference call. We start shooting the scene and both, Suresh and me…scream out together “Where are they?” with full drama and emotionJ

The scene where in we had to switch off the monitors. In one of the takes, after typing away into some document, I got up and switched off my monitor(habit) and I can still remember the look on Visal’s face, when he was shooting the scene….

Mad-ads-Jute Bags

Now I must admit...that I had absolutely no clue as to how the entire thing worked.....I mean I knew that Pravs' bro was an expert in scripting Mad-ads and had won lotsa events....n in coll...I had watched it all ardham purdham...so I was still clueless...

After the UTC Green video, v organized a mad ads competition n our product was jute bags.....I wanted Jayesh n MJ ...in my team very badly...as I knew they wud know what to do.....

Jayesh was hijacked by another team...n MJ was extremely busy with proj work...but the poor guy still made it to all our script discussions to give in his inputs.....n got in Sachin as well....

I wanted Shila to participate...coz the gal is a lil shy....but is also very enthu enthu abt such things.....

Shila got Raga n Maneesh into our team....n then v were ready to start a joyride....coz Mad-ads is sooo much fun....different matter that if ppal were to heed to my scripting ideas ....v wud have had a script that ppal wud have laughed at:)

Now that u know y they rejected all my brilliant ideas......V got down to performing...n it was sooo much fun.....I had MJ down on his feet....telling me...Mujhe Maaf karo meri maa....hehehe....I thoroughly enjoyed that scene...for all the email traps that MJ had laid in the past...dialogue hee sahi.....he did tell that he was sorry:):)

There was this other scene....where Maneesh had to do a gig on Jute Airways.....n he did it so well...n so effortlessly....that he had the audience in splits after his act....

Shila was actually turning out to be quite a natural....hehehehe.....n the scenes were carved out perfectly for her expressions:)

Sachin was the Lakshman who got slapped by me twice.....I was supposed to be Menake....n d poor guy.....I was doing that slapping act in ways that wud have landed on his face:)...Brave Guy!!!

Raga was our narrator.....n s....ijindala(obviously in Tulu)...we wudnt have been able to do Mad-ads without him....

Climax: We won the Mad-Ads Event:)

Mad-ads-Office

This was meant to be held for the anniversary celebrations but had gotten itself postponed to the technical fest in office.....

Owing to work commitments, I was not able to devote a lot of time to the event..this time around.....But the entire experience was again sooooper fun....

Varun will never forget the "Baby's Day Out" scene....where in we had to crawl like babies n fight...n I got myself so involved that I was actually beating him:)

The hero of the play....was too good with his expressions....loved his performance in the "Mere paas gaddi hai....shoes hai"....wallah scene.....Too gud he was:)

My female co-stars were ppal who did natural acting...n I unfortunately cud only do over the top acting:)

So be it the cafeteria scene or the tech fest scene.....U had them delivering fine performances.....

How can I forget our anchor..Somil Bhai...who had this task of carrying the bhoj of the entire play on his shoulders...ya...ya....narrator also did some Bhoj utafying...I think:)

I will never forget that trekking scene....n how that scene was shot...it was a very spontaneous one...n had all of us in it.....It was easily the best appreciated scene......

So..if Varun danced...n hey.....U r actually pretty good at it.....:)...I gotto dance n that 2 like Hritik Roshan...cud I have asked for anything more......definitely not this.....ppal calling me Miss Hrithik Roshan after the scene....

After the play was done...everywhere I went...ppal I knew or didnt know...told me that the play was sooooper.....ppal asked me for videos...as they thought it was a nice thing to share with pals:)

Blood Donation Video

S....v shot a video...highlighting the need for voluntary blood donation.....n this featured...Sachin, Raga, Jayesh, Shila n me.....I was back with my efforts at acting actually showing up on screen.....my sister watched d video....n she told me that u r ok....but i can c that u r trying to act.....that effort shows....

I really dont know how many ppal actually watched d video.....but if they did...it did have facts n answers to a few basic things abt blood donation....U wont believe me ..if I told u this....almost every other person who has approached me for blood group requests have always asked me the same questions!!!!

Mads-Ads- Learning in Office Stall

Im sure that there will be a day in the near future in office when people tell me Cma....v r really fed up of seeing u overact....Please spare us....But like I care :)

K....now this one....got me to understand that....Shila was a performer on stage....different matter that I must admit that I was a lil envious that she got to be Barkha Dutt....a character I absolutely admire....that it took me sometime to realize that she was doing it a million times better than I cud have ever imagined :)...n Shila....I mean it...M not trying to appease u....Like I have to :)

Rahul was an absolute wonder...I mean the man has talent...there is no doubt...but he does stuff so effortlessly....that it used to keep me wondering....if I had any talent at all......

1 scene I cant get out of my mind...v were practising this scene where in I was actually acting out parts that were assigned to him....call it an extremely bad sense of timing on my part..Im always too fast :(.....n this guy just stands there....n literally murmurs "That was my dialogue" under his breath..with the same innocently cool expression..that the scene demanded ....that it caught me totally offguard..n I stood there...LOL....

Another one was where I had to throw an imaginary chappal at him...the expressions that Sir gave.....where in he had to dodge my throws.....Made me feel like asking him for his mercy for commiting such an act:)

Somil Bhai....cud just fit into any role with absolute ease...so u had him playing Rama, HR Recruiter n a fresher in extremely convincing manners!!

Well...I can summarize my act from what I heard from a colleague.....This gal has progressed from Hrithik Roshan steps to Bharatnatyam steps :)....n good old Sid....who told me...Cma...U were tho...wat can I say....Ur emotions were overflowing ...hehehe...He cud have just told me ya...Cma...U did overacting full justice :)

N ya...last but not the least...d narrator did what he does best.....Don d mike...n get the whole act together :)

Got to do what I always wanted to do: Thing no.3: TEACH!!!!!

When I was small....I used to love playing 2 games.....one was the house game...where in I used to craete an imaginary house....I remember having a small set that had cooty cooty vessels n all......the 2nd one was the teacher game.....I even had an attendance register...with names that I liked.....ya ya....It had loadsa of Urvashi, Rambha, Menaka..:).....Had a very strong mythological upbringing...heeheehee

IGIA is one school that v share a very special bond with...It was almost like a dream come true...when v got to teach there.....

My office used to visit this school on the 2nd saturday of every month....during one such visit...V met Manjunath who had been teaching in the school for the past couple of years....v called for a meeting of volunteers n d 1st thing he told us was that ...I see a lot of energy in this room..but it wont last....Im sure v wont have a second meeting.....Thats when Pravs n me were determined to prove him wrong....n we did that for d next 3 years...

Our 1st class in IGIA was with Manju showing us how to teach.....Pravs n me were all overwhelmed by the fact that oMG...v r getting to teach....n all...when sudd-suddenly...Manju threw a chalk piece at 1 student and warned him to listen...He was extremely strict with the children......n wud punish them if they played the fool.....n all....

After class, when we asked Manju why he was so stern with them...his reply was "U will learn"....n v did....coz if u r all chatty n paly with the kids there...they take advantage of u...n dont study...so u did have to act a little strict if u had to get them to open their books....

We started spending our weekends there.....that year Pravs n me knew no rest on weekends....we had a team of other volunteers ..Anusha, Krishna, Shilpa, Soumya,Shwetha, Ranjeetha...sooo many of them.....that it was also huge fun going there...

V used to have a blast teaching them Maths, Science n Social Science......U had to start with the basics...they wudnt know if a minus into a minus was a plus....or if plus plus minus was a minus....

I have always lived through dates n events in History:)...n so to this day, my most treasured class was the one where I got to teach them "World War I & II"...

Favs

All the teachers had their favourite students as well..mine was Selva....not coz he always topped...coz he used to always care a lot for his teachers.....he used to drop me off to the bus stand if I was alone.....used to get me to play throw ball in the breaks.....He was also extremely hardworking and attentive in class....

Im not 2 sure...but I think Pravs fav student was Kajan...he was Mr.Smart.....knew how to tackle things from a very practical point of view.....but hated theory.....v had to beg him to study the languages...coz Sir...was only interested in action....n Maths was his fav...

Ranjeetha's fav student was Krishna....a very interesting character....this guy was the unofficial electrician there....he was 1 student who had transformed from a not at all interested student to some1 who showed so much of interest that it shocked us.....

All said n done.....abt my partial teachers.....IGIA had a miracle that year....Only 1 out of 11 students failed their Board exams....n this was in contrast to 1 or 2 passing out of 10 in the past....

I still remember Shilpa calling us n telling us the results.....Pravs n me were shopping n both of us were almost jumping away to glory scaring our fellow n felli shoppers....

N so continued our journey into the next 2 years....we had new volunteers...v spent our weekends discussing about IGIA..if we were unable to go there...V cribbed that they didnt study...v cribbed that they werent serious.....V met Vishnu n Subbu...2 of our most dedicated teachers....they used to visit IGIA n teach the kids there on every other Sat n Sun....prepare test ?...motivate the kids....

We had DJ...who taught permutation n CombHINATION :) with that underlying Hindi accent to the kids:)

We had Shwetha teach the kids Maths....

We had Anusha n Krishna do the Kannada honors....n s....at times...I have also taught them Kannada:)

We had Ahmad, Archana, Aravindan, Bavani n sooo many others do a lot of teaching.....

Special mention to Bavani, Ahmad n Archana....these ppal were not only new to B'lore....But used to travel all the way from BTM layout by buses...not even being able to read the Kannada words on the bus routes.....to teach the kids at IGIA.....

Today....none of us no longer teach ....but Im glad I gotto to do it sometime atleast....U have no idea....I love teaching history.....n I hope v do get back to teaching at some point of time in future....

Got to do wat I always wanted to do: Thing no.4 : Be a reporter

It sounds all hyper n all....but I got only 10% close to being one....

One of our colleagues lost his life in Muthathi....He had been to Muthathi with his friends and had died coz of drowning...

Muthathi is this popular tourist spot located around 100 kms away from B'lore....it is basically a water place....an extremely beautiful place.....the best part being the ride to the place....its quite serene n calm n simply awesome....

Now...there are these whirlpools within a few meters of the shore that not many ppl are aware of...these are extremely dangerous..especially since u r totally unaware of it...

Pravs, Abhijeet, Shila n me went on a fact finding mission to Muthathi to gather details regarding the death of our collegue n also regarding the circumstances that caused the death...

V visited police stations....got to see scary photos....got to note down even more scary facts....who would know this before going to Muthathi..that deaths due to drowning occured every other weekend...

I have always wanted to be a journalist...a reporter...I can still do a gig on all that newsreading act...I have always adored Barkha Dutt.....she adds a new meaning to journalism....

When we entered the 2nd police station to request them for details...the policemen thought that we had come to report a fresh case of drowning....as Im told they have had enough....they told us things like....V r fed up of u software engineers..I wanted to protest that I wasnt even one.....k.k.k.U software engineers ..U ppal earns thousands of bucks per month..U have reached a point where u dont even know what to do with all that money...so u come here to Muthathi...to throw a booze party....n u show ur arrogance by not listening to our warnings about the whirlpools ..instead u abuse us in return...n what is the end result....U end up drowning ...n when u r gone...our headache starts...v have to organize search camps for you....hget the local fishermen to carry out their fishing exercise....in Muthathi..the bodies r literally fished out with rods....all this and more to ensure u have a decent burial....their appeal to us was not to trouble them...

V visited the spots where they had started the journey into the waters....got to see the places where they had drowned.....it is sooo close to the shore.....nobody can even guess that there are spots that can just suck u in....got to talk to the boatman who had ferried them across.....got to see the place where they finally found the body....got to c the place where they conducted the post mortem....Trust me...after seeing all this...V got to c the place from a very different perspective....n s v got to spread our awareness related info warning ppal of the dangers in Muthathi in a small lil way....

Got to do wat I always wanted to do: Thing no.5: SING!!

Dedicated to Hemanth, Uday, Puneeth n Kirthi....d..4murthis who truly appreciate good music.....

They tell me that u can come with us for trekking ...provided u sing to drive away the wild animals..

They tell me that whenever I sing...they forget all the troubles in the universe....

When i walk into a meeting, 30 mins late...they tell me that i can join them...if i promise to sing....

One of them claimed that he would want to have his seat moved somewhere close to mine....to hear me sing...now this is 1 guy who bore the Gaalipata song brunt:)

Uday claimed that my songs were still resonating in his head...even days after the trip...where in I had gone on a singing spree....

They tell me to sing all the time......

I want them to meet Shwetha...she sings with double my intensity....n Pravs....who sings with 1.5 times my intensity....n CJ...she sings with as much as mine.....hehehe

If it werent for them...I wud never have discovered my singing talent....

Got to do wat I always wanted to do: Thing no. 6: Trek n sleep under the stars n clouds

The posting "Unforgettable" sums up this experience.....TRULY AWESOME

Got to do wat I always wanted to do: Thing no. 7: Yoga

My father used to do yoga regularly. I used to learn stuff from him n try to do things....but half d time..I only ended up spending my time sleeping when my father used to practice...

I finally joined Yoga classes in office, after telling myself..that it was high time....

I love my yoga classes...after landing in office at 9am everyday....Im already waiting for 6...to start yoga....

I love the fact that yoga is a very disciplined art...and me being extremely indisciplined in life...wanted yoga to add some sort of an order to my disorderly existance....

When v do instant or quick relaxation techniques....my instructor goes on like this.....

Close ur eyes....prepare urself for the practice of Shavasan.....lie down on ur back....head in any comfortable position....palms facing upwards lying by ur side....n relax....think only abt today....be happy today....forget the past n dont worry abt the future....shift ur focus to the tip of ur nostril...hehehe...I keep wondering how to do it with my eyes closed....feel the cool air come in..when u inhale...n d warm air go out...when u exhale.....feel the positive energy come into ur system n the negative energy being driven out.....imagine a red light...which has started travelling from ur brain.....travelling down to ur chest...to ur hands...to ur feet...rejuvinating every other cell n tissue of ur body...whenevr I do this...I imagine the diagram I used to draw...The Human Digestive System....way back in school.....n then imagine taht red light running across tunnels or pipes:)....hehehhe.......now let us chant Omkara.......take a deep breath...n when u exhale.....chant Ommmmm......loudly...so that u feel the vibrations resonating in ur brain n across ur system....

I love the asanas, I love the loosening exercises.....I love the jumping abt taht I get to do...I love repeating his instructions in my mind....even before my Yoga trainer speaks it out:)...In short am glad I gotto do Yoga:)

Got to do wat I always wanted to do: Thing no.8: Get beachy!!

M'lore ....all thanks to Shila....my trip was finally possible....things were geting a lil complicated...n I didnt know if I wud be able to make it for the trip in the 1st place...but am sooo glad I did.....I needed a break.....n the beaches gave me more than wat I had asked for:)

Now M'lore n Kerala r sooo much alike....be it the places...or d the ppal or the food or the fish:)

I travelled to M'lore with 30 bucks in my pocket.....yes...I didnt quite have the time to withdraw cash....n was relying on Shila to be my bank....so even if I wanted an icecream on the beach..I had to turn to d bank:)....who used to readily acknowledge any cash requests!!

V set out on Hejmady beach in the mid-afternoon sun...I came back looking different...n having tanned colored patches all over:)

We had Harish Uncle's Budethi(Wife) n her daughter for company....

I have been to plenty of beaches before....but the sights of Hejmady surpassed them all....

It was largely due to the Budethi...she was an extremely lovely lady...very enthu enthu...n fun-loving types.....she took us to places v had never ventured out onto.....

I love clean beaches n thinly populated 1s...n this 1 fit the bill perfectly....Imagine walking across the beach....with thousands of lively seashells giving ur feet company....imagine running along the beach...icecream tastes best when u have it on the beach:)....playing football with an icecream ball.....Imagine a place where the river meets the sea.....n s...U get swayed off just admiring the beauty of nature..V had never seen anything like it before....there were fishes getting washed away to the shores....the fishing boats lurking in the distant sea....n ya.....Me felt like a true Mogaveer(Fishermen class)...when v got to pull a boat to the shore....ya ya...v did that....n it was soo much fun......n trust me...I didnt feel the heat even once....tho my system did after all that tan:)

Budethi was a running champ in her coll days...n their running grounds were the beach....I love running too....so d 2 of us had a race.....n I lost.....I was hurt ...losing to a mother of a 11 year old kid....but then..my practice grounds were the path from my house to the bus stop....having to stop every time I saw a familiar looking face.... all the uncles n aunties used to go ask my mother things like...Why does she run sooo much??....Cant she get up early....n what not...they seemed more concerned than I was......

So...thanks to Shila...n Budethi.....i got all beachy:)

Got to do wat I always wanted to do: Thing no.9: Getridy:)

I know...I know...u must be wondering wats the big deal.....but to a person like me....who has heard stories of her friends having amazing bike rides in the best of weathers.....I must write about 2 of my bestest bike rides.....

The 1st one was when v were visiting a Govt School in Utarahalli....now the roads to the school r extremely dusty n the ride in itself can be quite a pain....if the sun decides to show his face...u will never want the ride!!!

But not on that day......there was a slight drizzle.....a lovely breeze......n u feel all soooper happy n all....U actually feel like everything around u is so perfect...so soothing...so close to nature....n yet soooo simple:)

The 2nd one was when v had to run to RR Nagar to get the movie CD of Taare Zameen Par for an event the following day.....n this time....v rode in the dark....that is if u call 6:45pm dark:).....n Jayesh was speeding so much....that I felt that I wud fly off any min....which is impossible considering the mass I carry:)....but loved the breeze sooo much..d speeding..k.k.k.I know speeding is baad...but I didnt quite want the ride to end:)

Poor old Rachit offered another poor gal..Cma a ride on 1st Jan 2009....Now Aunty Cma as I am popularly known to him...was all excited...as she was ride crazy.....I did my Mother proud by having tender coconuts...Mallu effect:)...n myself proud...by making Rachit pay...hehhe..I do this all the time...I take him to Cafeteria.....tell him..Im treating...n then make him pay...as my meal cards at that precise moment run out of currency or my purse out of cash:)

Got to do wat I always wanted to do: Visit Singapoora

Ok People, this blog pertains to my pharen trip….its too long I admit….so patience n time is the key here...

1st time flier

Seeing a flight for the first time in my life....did get me excited............but then it was no different than travelling in a BTS Bus and a Lalbagh Express............except of course for the take -off and the landing part not even .0009% as scary as some of the scariest rides in Wonderla..................

I fought for the window seat and got it eventually....Our flight was scheduled to leave at 3:30am, so now u know how tired I was........

The take-off was slow and steady......I seriously believe we spent atleast half an hour(ok kkkk ...I am exaggerating..:))......................rounding the airport and once there was enough momentum, we sped off..........The sight after that was only of lights below..............Then we snored for some time.........maybe an hour or so.......after that all of a sudden there was light..........we were I guess in another part of the world............

The view in the morning was excellent............We could see only clouds and clouds everywhere...............we were ready to disembark:).........kindly note my excellent choice of words:))

As we landed the view was excellent.........the sea and the hills looked great……

Day 1:Saturday 24th Sep 2006

K touched the airport and kept telling myself a thousand times that I am in a foreign Country.......but that handsome pilot kept distracting my thoughts…..

We ran through a check...where in they actually check for imposters ............was trying to be as natural as possible.....then we got the first glimpse of Escalator Land:)

We got a taxi and hey the first view of Singapura was just how I'd thought it wud be.............clean...clean...clean.......

And not to forget the best part..green...green..............very green...lots of trees and well there was a river or a sea...dunno...near the airport and the ride from the airport to my sister's place .the first half of it was breath-taking...all coz of nature....the second half of it was full of high rise buildings............different sizes,shapes, saw a building called Durian(local Jackfruit....which stinks ten times more..and if caught eating them in buses or MRTs..will get to this later.....1000$...down the drain.thats coz here all the buses and the MRTs are air conditioned)...........

We live in Bukit Merah View(means Hill View)........and on the 11th
Floor.........in a Block that has only Chinese people..........

NTUC Exp

Bro-in law took me out to NTUC(Local Shopping Mall) and explained quite a few things........telling me that Jaywalking is not allowed..........u have to press a button to cross the road...and thats when the signal turns green from red...........saw a KFC, Burger King or a Mac Donalds almost every half a kilometer or so..........and only Chinese people all around............I told him then that ok ok.......I am in a foreign country..........their Complexion(clear spotless face.........gives me a
complex whenever I look at them). their poker-straight hair(my hair has gone from good to worse after coming here..stands out even more), their clothes.......their accessories.........

K k so I haad my first sight of a mall in Singapore........but trust me......they all look the same..........like heightened more loaded versions of Garuda Mall and full of Chinese....u do come across a stray Indian here and there......though..............lemme get to Suntec City...there v got to see lots of good looking IndiansJ

On Saturday Evening, after catching up on the most needed sleep in the afternooon.......(thanks to the flight journey)...........we left to visit our relatives place here in Sembagong or something........now this place is really really far away...by Singapore Standards...........that is........We got to a place called Tiong Bahru......which I realised is the local hotspot.........something like our BEL Circle and is hardly 4 stops away........by Bus (Which again operates on Tap the Card System....a good one........where in u tap the card at the beginning of ur journey and then when u get down ..u tap again....and the money gets deducted automatically......yes..u can purchase tickets also.....but they are more expensive..........and u need to tender the exact change or u lose ur money...........

There are loads of Double Decker Buses here.........reminds me of Old Bangalore...wonder y v dont have them anymore........

MRT Exp

Now in Tiong Bahru, I boarded my first Metro Rail..popularly called MRT ...........they have another version of it called the LRT........this one is apparently driverless….Imagine…

You reach stops that are miles away.........in like seconds(k k got carried away few min........)........my mother could not take her eyes off the window............and me of the area map.............V crossed stations like Buena Vista,Red Hill,etc etc......they have different Railway lines here........North East, etc, etc,.......

Anyway, 1st ride in MRT was exciting as we zoomed past stations with the
following message notes .....

Next Station:Orchard or Dhoby Ghaut
Doors Opening
Please mind the platform gap........

Lots of these......I have I think perfected the way these people speak..................

K we went there and had good food and then returned back home in MRTs and
Buses..........

So here goes my updates on my very first day in a foreign country………..

Local Market Exp

Bro-in law and me went shopping to the local market ...............clean a hundred times more by Indian Standards....and except for a few other odd vegetables and differentially sized other common vegetables.........and of course the people it feels Indian.......

V went fish shopping..........so all veggies......u can skip this part........

I was holding a fish in my hand for the first time in my life........god.......sooooooooo many firsts after coming here........felt strange .......but it tasted goooooooooood..........

Night Safari

Now this was goooooood...though it was again far and we had to take the buses(kkk.coz atleast u can looook out), MRTs.......k k was beginning to not enjoy it much........as it was well ............boring............

We got to c the Indian Wolf, One horned Rhino...........and a whole lot of ur friends here.........saw Lion, Leopard(this is one restless creature..........)like the idea of this zoooooooo...........it is like u
walk around a forest on paths and there is the jungle all around with the animals sometimes just mm away from u,on the other side of the glass that is:)..........

Harbour Front

I went to get my camera repaired in a place called Harbour Front..............now this is near a sea..lovely place with lotsa natural beauty..........and more malls.........anyway.........very hard to follow these Chinese people's English….half the time my sister was doing all the talking.....and I was well......trying to figure out what they were talking..............

We went to do local shopping that day.............and well...I had my first price shock after all the cultural shockJ

God.......this place is ssssssssssssooooooooo damn EXPENSIVE..........everything has to cost atleast three times as much as in India.........was doing all the converting....when my sister told me shut up and buy what u want.......DO NOT CONVERT.......K k,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,but hey trust me it is still expensive(this is me)

Chinatown

V went out to Chinatown............liked this placee........atleast I wasnt seeing anymore
malls.........and this place had a gooooood ambience about it..........thought about Shw.........when I saw all those Tibetan Stuffffffff...........

Nice place...........we went to a temple..Mariamma Temple.........and trust me ..............it was like homecoming........though there were many foreign tourists ......there was some Navrathri Special Dance Programme...............

In the bus stop.....there was this considerate Chinese old man..........who guided us onto the next bus........all this without our asking that is..........sweeeeeeeet man..........

Singapura Cares

And yes, forgot to mention the most important point that my bro-in law told me the day I landed here.......there is an old age home................quite close by and lotsa projects for the challenged people here in Singapura also........

And one day in the MRT, we saw a video clipping(yup they have TVs in buses and MRT)..of the blasts in Trains(Madrid, London and Mumbai) and on how important it is to report such events...............that is if u notice anything suspicious or baggage left unattended.............

So can see a lot of community driven iniatives...........here in Singapura....which is gooooooood.........

Sister’s fav place in Sing-a-pura

On the way back ..we took another route.........that took us closer to Orchard Road......my sister's favourite spot in Singapura...........

This place looks and feels like MGs......was my sister's observation.............I was due to go there the coming weekend.....so was looking forward to that….

On the bus, there were showing Kajol and Hrithik on the TV.....guess they had come to Singapura for some strange reason...which I cudnt figure out…..n Hrithik is quite a hunk:)............

Got Cam n Lil India

We were in high spirits as we got a call telling that the camera was alright.........so we had to goto Harbour Front again...but I didnt mind it......yes...not even one bit............coz I kinda liked that place.........what with the sea and all.............

We set out there and when I saw that the amount due was 0$............I went bonkers........I kept smiling for I think a long time after that......coz the Chinese fella there also started smiling.............and my embarrased sister had to tell him that she is very excited that her camera is fine...........:)

After that.........I started clicking...........

Then we set off to Little India..........and I was told and warned beforehand that this was essentially the most Indianized place in Singapura…

We took the MRT to Farrer Park and landed in a place called Sembagoon or something that sounds close to it anyway...............The place was decorated all along gearing up for Diwali...........and was full of Indian Restaurants.................a second Homecoming.................

Mustafa

We visited the Durga Temple here...then we went to Mustafa Centre....A must for any Indian...........I am told............coz u get everything that u get in India here in Singapura..............ofcourse at Singapura Prices:(...........so I was still wondering what was the big deal visiting this place anyway...........but ofcourse family thought otherwise:)

K .......my father had got my Casio Calculator......something I used all along my Engg from this place.........so I warmed up to it a little.........but otherwise......for my Standards..........it was still
boring .....we saw lots of Mallu, Kannadiga and North Indian Married Couples with children and
all..............but yes it was interesting to see one thing.......I actually noticed at quite a few other places also...........Indian Men going around with Chinese Gals.......and showing them our Indian Instant Mixes like Paneer Buuutter Masala at Malls:).............Dunno the connucction........u c....


We went out to dinner after having strained my poor hands under all the weight of all those dals,vegetables,etc,etc......purchased at Mustafa...........and I was told we were to visit that place
again..........God.........have never been so ooooooooo sad.........before:(

Dinner was in a North Indian Restaurant called Tandoor.........and the prices..............skyrocket high...............ten times the price of our good old Darshinis and Sagars..........I refused to order anything and so my sis toook over.............but everything tasted the same as food in
India...........must be Musatafa ka kaaaaaaamaaaaaaaaal:)

Movies

Got back home............now I have been watching a lot of movies here...........my sister seems to have the VCD or the DVD of every other Mal, Eng and Hindi Movie.........

Loved Swades..............connects with u like no other movie...............ggoooooooooodddddd one.....makes u feel u can make a difference if u want to...........
Loved the male lead in Kalyug..............he was such a chotta boy a coupla years ago...........but he acts like crazy ........

Loved Kaycha.........this is a Mal movie...........a very well made one and has excellent performances........my fav of course being that chotta kid............wud want to have a son like him u c.........:))

Then dont even remember the names of some other movies I have been watching here.......

It rained almost all day and is very Hazy outside.....due to forest fires in Indonesia ...........I am told.........

Finally Orchard

Today we put off Sentosa(An Island Resort).....as Orchard was due today ......Sindhu says like how we take people to Lalbagh ...once they land in Bangalore...........people have to visit Sentosa......the one and only tourist attraction place in Singapore........in the sense other than the shopping malls .........that is.........

So we set off to Orchard Road...............and yes......the place impressed me big time.........it is like a enlarged version of MGs .more spacious...atleast 10 times more and has a good feel about it..

Lotsa place to walk around and not to forget this one incident.....I was taking a family pic of the rest of them.....and this foreign looking guy..........am still trying to figure out his nationality.......u see............actually stood with my family and smiled urging my family to smile too and me to take the photo........I was about to do the same.........when he left...........but yes.....his presence did do the trick.............my family actually smiled and yes..........laughed big time...........for the photo..........but u c.........I am behind the camera........now that does not make me looooooooook all that good.....does it:(

Cudnt get enough of Orchard Road ............as we had to head back home...............

Sentosa

Today we set off to Sentosa...........loved the cable cars.........the beach, the laser show.........and the views of the place.........are awesome..........

Saw Merlion.......that is the lion with a fish walla.......face ka statue and the river..........

Parking

Actually...... I think I watched atleast a hundred movies........and then sister and me went out on a walk to Tiong Bahru......It is actually pretty close by and we had a lovely walk........I was walking
like I owned Singapura..

We passed thro the Henderson(thats also the name of the school located right in front of our apartment)...Community Club, Gym and the police Station.............and yes I got to see the cats here for the first time.........they are HUGE...........I think I have only seen 2 dogs and 20 cats so far in Singapura..The cats also have strange tails............

We went to Burger King and had amazing Onion Rings..............was actually kindling my sister to go for French Fries........but she asked me to try Onion.....never thought that Onion cud taste soooooo gooooooood..........

We had an interesting conversation........about how to me all the Chinese looked the same.........I really cant distinguish one from the other..........my sister was of the opinion that they have the same problem with Indians:)

We went to a park in Tiong Bahru.......and we saw all the health conscious fellow Singapurians jogging….

We went again to NTUC....to do some more shopping.........BTW my sister also loves Sprite.........and since it is pesticide free here .......I am drinking all that I can................:)

RiverWalk Tandoor

My brother-in-law's happy birthday..............so we were to go out to dinner.......yipeeeeeeeee.....in my sister's favourite restaurant called RiverWalk Tandoor.....................in a place called Clarke
Quay..........the one place......in Singapura .which made me feel that yes I was in a phoren country..........

K getting to Clarke Quay........loads of restaurants by the Riverside......They loook lovely..........

K My Bro-in-law had already arrived in the Bungee Jumping Area...........not to Bungee Jump ..but he was waiting for us ........then we got to RiverWalk Tandoooor........


But yes the food in River Walk Tandoor was awesome:).........and the waiter who served us was handsome as well..........My bro-in law calls me a Minty...........andhare.........a Mint Chutney Freako.............I just love it....and drink only that.....in India also.. .when we went to the restaurants I kept my drinking tradition alive:)

One thing I shud mention is that yesterday it was like I was in our own Desi Bus.........coz we had lotsa Chinese people getting up to give in their seats to my parents.........and also lotsa Indian People in the bus.......

Boat Ride across d corners

K now this place is awesome at first glance..........is Mall Free(My Attraction Point)...........is full of Restaurants and Pubs all along the Singapore River...........Lots of Goras graced this place...and has lots of overwater bridges...that u pass under when u r on a boat:)

Will start off with the Boat Ride........saw Raffles(The Founder of Early Singapoooora) and I was told that the place was only full of Fishermen in early Little India and Chinatown.........
Saw the Parliament House, Supreme Court, Durian House(shape of the Fruit),Merlion Bay,Lots of Asian Civilization Conservation Museums and other Skyscrappers..........Huge Buildings housing Banks, other Business Centres(sounded Boring to me ).............but yes the river smelt the same as the Cauvery River..........My sister tells me thats coz of the Fish..........

Not to forget the Overbridges..some built by the British, the others by the Indians and the rest by Chinese................they were good.but then when u actually pass around 6 of them ................they seem manmade and the natural water seems much better:))

Also noticed one thing that I dont like.........lotsa people smoking...........sister says that for the young people..u r hip-hop and happening if u smoke...........so most of the young guys and gals do the same:(((.........

Also happened to notice some people spitting and others littering...........yes in Singa-pooora...Sister says that if they are caught then they would have to pay a fine of 1000 $........but now people seem to have taken that for granted..........well not that the city is unclean or
something..................but its bad to litter........I dont have the heart to do that...when everything is sooooooo clean........

Sister’s Day Out

Well...as u already know yesterday pather and me went Fish Shopping and unlike the last time...I let my father do all the Fish Taking and Buying (Imean all the Touchy Part),,,while I did all the eating:))

The 2 of us....that is my sister and me went to Little India and to a place called Bugis.....I call it the Boogie Woogie Place.......We took the bus and landed in Bugis....and immediately had a pearl drink.......in ur Drinks.........BTW Milo is a hot and a cold Favourite here....).....and then proceeded to explore Bugis.....which is a little too Crowded and well is something like a Galli Galli Place with loads of Shops…..

We then walked all the way to Serangoon Road(Little India).....after asking a Chinese Man for directions...who I must admit had the most funniest way of pronouncing SeRANgooooooooooooooon...............Road....we passed Sim Lim Tower/Square and a mall called Tekka Mall.......y am I mentioning all this............coz I like the thought of calling a mall Tekka or a Tower by a Chinese name.............
In SeRANgoooooooon Road.....we were welcomed by the Lights ...the roads are actually adorned with Plastic Peacocks and other Lights all along the stretch of this Road..........and well u can also see the Chinese in their Cycle Rikshaws............with their Pull Parivar I think enjoying their Cycle
Rides..........through these roads..admist all the lighting....gearing up for Deepavali......
We went to Mustafa...........and did some more vegetable shopping.........and I was the official Weigher..that is if u r buying 6 potatoes.......u need to collect them...........go to a separate counter and get them weighed.....
We had to call a taxi to get back home..........and the Chinese driver was very cute.............he kept asking my sister...........Deepa...Maaali............we thought he was referring to us by names that werent ours...........and when he mentioned SeRANgooooooooon.....we got the Picture...............He was referring to Deepavali..........and he wanted to know if it was same for
us.............God...... Chinese and their English

When we passed a complex called Takshimaya.....I thought I had heard it before........when sister mentioned that.........it was a Japanese Store and u get all the Latest Electronic Items at Japanese Prices........so thought of staying away from that place.............when she mentioned that we were only meters away from Orchard................I really wanted to go back
there...............but it was 9:40pm............and there was also the home calling and rather home delivery thing to be accomplished.....

After a good Fish Fry and Curry Meal.............we went to have icecreams ...........just the three of us...........and I littered Singapura............Accidently............by dropping one small teeny weeny
piece of melted Chocolate....:(:(..........

Chinese hair cut!!

I wanted a trim....ended up with the shortest haircut I had in years!!!...All coz I didnt understand what the Chinese lady said n she didnt understand what I said!!!

People in office pulled my leg like for a week...claiming that she sacrificed her hair to the Chinese....But I was optimistic....after Vikas Kaushal ...our 1st tenant's advice...when I looked sad after a boycut ....It will grow back....Not to worry!!....