Orphanage Painting

Went to Makkala Ashraya Kendra at Cubbonpet (near Hudson Circle) for painting a room in an orphanage.
We painted only 3 walls because the 4th wall had the children's hand prints and they wanted to keep those. After the normal painting, we were supposed to draw something on the wall to "entertain" the children!!
Since I'm not much of an artist, I drew the "Motorola Batwing" and "Jerry"...

My roomie's parents left for the Yuhnited States (as Ajay Rao likes to call it) last night leaving behind their car (but obviously, do you suppose they were going to drive down!! Well, they could, but...). So now my roomie Wineye has a car for 4 whole months..can you beat that!
Went to the airport to see off aunty & uncle; heard lots of advice as well ;)

Later went to see off Wineye's cousin who's going back to Dubai (where he works). He's invited us all to Dubai in December, so there's a remote possibility that come December, this blog may get an update from the land of the Arabs!!
But before that happens, I need to get an ECNR stamp on my passport

[My passport is issued in Goa, so I need to get the ECNR from the passport office in Panjim. I had tried that sometime back, but imagine my surprise and horror when the officials there refused to put the stamp on it stating that MAHE is not recognised as a university! I need to write to MAHE regarding this, but I keep procrastinating on this. Sure hope I don't repent my laziness later]

Anyways coming back to the present, I will go the gym in sometime to move my legs to some sizzling salsa tracks or as Es (our pal who's an amazing Salsa dancer and trying hard to get us there) would say it, "to spin the bellas around and burn the dance floor :)". Once again I have to pull Pyoo out of her seat and drag her to the gym... Is she lazy or is she lazy?!!

Tomorrow is a working day :( Compensatory work day for the holiday on April 13th (owing to the Rajkumar demise episode)

Took Jana Home!!!

Can you believe my audacity?!!
Bcoz I sure can't..

[voices in my head
CGIM => conservative guy in me
AGIM => avant-garde guy in me]

CGIM: This is India for Gawd's sake; these things don't happen here!!
AGIM: But its not like Jana is my girlfriend or something..
CGIM: But still man, she's a girl
AGIM: So.
CGIM: She's white!!
AGIM: So.
CGIM: She's elder to you!
AGIM: So.
CGIM: What was the whole purpose dude?
AGIM: It served a dual purpose actually. Let me explain:

1. My relatives think that I'm just another simple guy (which is correct) who will do exactly what they tell me to do (which is totally incorrect). So this trip helped me to drive home the point that I will do as I wish, when I wish. Period. I am a rebel, and they'd better get used to that.

2. More importantly, Jana is a student of intercultural communication, and this trip would've taught her a lot about Indian families and stuff (hands-on experience in industry terms).

CGIM: Don't you get it you d*mbass? She's a foreigner. Atleast you could've taken some Indian girl..

AGIM: Dammit man, did you already forget what I just told you. You're beginning to sound like a conservative old aunty; even my relatives were more chill. This is the year 2006 man, the world is not as small as it used to be..

All said and done, it remains that last weekend was a totally exhausting express trip to Mangalore and back with a European girl. Caught a Friday night bus to Subrahmanya. Met my Dad and visited 4 temples. Reached Mangalore in the afternoon. Introduced Jana to many aunts, two uncles, my grandmother and my great-grandmother.Caught a Saturday night bus back to Bangalore.

<- Sujata Aunty & Jana

Jana & Vicky ->

<- Granny & Vicky

Jana & I made fried rice on Sunday ->

Leaning Tower Of Pizza Hut

The beautiful Leaning Tower of Pizza Hut that used to adorn my otherwise untidy cube...
This was before Venky's arse decided that it had to come down :(
Anyways, our chief Architect, Mr. Vishal Patil has promised to rebuild it soon :)

<- attending conf call with Vineet & Vineet!!

Some random pics..

<- With Gupta on the first painting day

Kini & I getting ready ->

<- With Kini on the bike

Sania Mirza (Bangalore Open Doubles Finals) ->

<- Vijay, Simon & I at Mc Donald's (PG meet)

French music concert at Alliance Francaise ->

<- German jazz concert at Max Mueller Bhavan

Shiva temple behind Kemp Fort ->
(You can find a much better picture of the same Shiva statue here)

3 Months Gone!!!

A lot of water has flowed in the Ganges in the last 3 months and a lot has happened in my life.

Sometimes I regret not keeping a diary like I used to in college.(I have 4 diaries of my 4 years of Engineering in MIT Manipal. Man, I really treasure them!)
Someone told me that life won't be so interesting once you start working, so I stopped writing my diaries. But I have realised that life never stops being interesting - school or college or work or old age, I guess its just how you look at it.

For some reason, as I write this I remember a saying that, "Sometimes its better to travel than to arrive". The words may not be perfect but you get the meaning right? If you've read "The Alchemist", then you would recall the merchant who used to work so that he could save enough to go to Mecca. Finally, when he can easily afford to go to Mecca, he doesn't; because he believes that if he did then his sole aim in life would be over and there would be nothing left to live for!!

Anyways, coming back to the last 3 months, lets see what has happened!

The highlight definitely has been me meeting Jana (pronounced Yana). It was destiny that brought us together at the tree plantation in November: http://googz.blogspot.com/2005/11/great-week.html
Had I not gone for that tree plantation, I would probably have been just another software engineer in Bangalore, blowing away cash every weekend without doing anything worthwhile. But thanks to this wonderful lady from the Czech Republic, I can say with some pride that my Sundays are not going waste anymore :)

<- Jana & I at some pub on Residency Road

After a successful slum school painting project ->

<- At an orphanage for the next community service project


Besides that I had been to Delhi for my US visa interview (stayed one night at the Hyatt Regency, and the next one at Priya's place - and liked the latter more!!), followed by Bhavik's reception in Pune, followed by New Years Party @ Nasik (party pics here: http://www.world-noma.de/gallery2/v/Till/INDIA/NASHIK/New+Years+Eve+_+Taj/).

Some misc pics:

<- Priya at her home

With Adreen & Wesley at Bhavik's reception ->

<- met Arun & his wife at Mumbai airport (its a small world indeed!!)