TwentyTen!

Hello 2010!

I must admit, I love the symmetry of "2010", sounds so funky! Makes me anticipate 2020, which I hope would still make me think of cricket. If it doesn't, shoot me dead. After all, it is my favorite spectator sport!

If all that sounds even more weird than its normal for me, pardon me. Blame it on the residual effects of intoxicating metabolites and the shock of having to do readings and homework again! And yes, I saw the 'Phir mile sur....' video just before this. The visual torture has effectively fried my brains, though I didn't mind the music so much. It was time for a change, and really, how many of the younger kiddos have even heard (or heard about) the old version. I also believe 'Mile sur...' is a classic, and that they should have tried to compose something new!

Holiday hollers: I love the cold, but January hasn't been my favorite month for a few years. This year, I think I might have made my peace with it. I was off to San Diego in the first week of January. It's such a lovely city, and the Seaport Village made me physically long for Mumbai. The coastline feels the same, but the sea smells different back home, for whatever reason. Ohh Marine Drive and a garam chai, how I miss thee (yes, I am addicted). The simple pleasures of life are the ones you tend to miss the most..... :)

So, I got back, the rest of my household got back, and then due to some quirk of the weather Gods, we had a week full of rain. Dull, deary rain. Arrrgghhh. To brighten things up, we had a mast(!) birthday party, with the guys putting up quite a show (yay!). And then we were off to Palm Springs for a conference (blah blah). It was a pretty place, sunny, slightly cold, with snow on the mountain peaks and so many shops with such pretty and expensive and useless collectibles. Oh, and possibly, there may have been partying. Lots of. Fun times!

And now, school restarts with a vengeance, and, surprise surprise, I am looking forward to it. Last year, this date, I was on the tender mercies of Western Railways while traveling to Ajmer. Time flies by, and it takes you along. The ride was crazy, fun, a bit bumpy, with quite a few very pleasant surprises and I am so very delighted to be half-way across the world in 2010!

Live, Love, Laugh. It solves everything!

Christmas in Claremont!

So its Christmas time, the wind's howling in the trees, there is snow on Mt. Baldy's peak and I am on a break from KGI. It is an altogether different matter that I end up in KGI almost every night. After all, it has the pool table and the projector. Studying in the lecture hall may be difficult after meeting with Mr. Jack Daniels and trying out amateur karaoke in there :)

Have "guests" over - Jen and Rags are here. They insist I do not know the "right" way to make chai, but will I please make some anyways? Godot has been loaned to me. No wait. Godot has deemed our humble abode worthy of being his palace for a few days. Taking care of a crazy cat who doesn't want to return home at night and thinks that hiding in obscure corners of IHV is fun; is interesting, to say the least! Did I mention the time he climbed up on the roof and couldn't figure out how to get back down? No? Rags did the hero act by precariously balancing on one leg, on a rickety stool, and stretching his hand out to Godot, who promptly sank his claws in into the offered hand and grabbed on. Ouch. I realized I am absolutely not ready for the responsibility of a pet just yet.

Christmas dinner was at Uncle Marco's and Aunt Yanny's place. They are an amazingly open-hearted family, who have welcomed us all, sharing their time and affection and making us feel at home. The next day, we worked off the good food by going for a marathon. A five movies, back-to-back, marathon. By the way, is it weird that even after five months here, I don't feel homesick? I guess home is where the heart is, and I think my "extended" family keeps me centered. Love you guys :D

The year draws to a close and I am actually surprised at how fast time went by. This time last year, I was in Jodhpur, enjoying Marwari khana, with bajre ki roti, maakkhan maar ke. Today, it was "spicy" paneer tikka at Handee. Worries about are admissions over, (I should be) worrying about an internship now. The heat of Mumbai is a distant dream in the much appreciated cooler climes of Claremont. D Y Patil is buried deep down in my memory covered by layers of "awesome" KGI stuff. So many things change, and thank God that so many don't!

Bye-Bye 2009. You were a wonderful year, bringing with you a jolly bag of changes. Will miss you when you are gone, but I spy with my little eye a fun fun fun 2010!

Ring out the old, ring in the new,

Ring, happy bells, across the snow:

The year is going, let him go;

Ring out the false, ring in the true.

~ Lord Alfred Tennyson