My Friend Once Told Me I Should Write Again

As I sit here, at the center of a huge couch on a Saturday night with nothing to do, I realize the transition I've made in life. Its been one helluva journey through undergrad leading up to Grad school and now life post graduation. The most important addition to my life during my two years in the US has been a pair of spectacles. Funny as it may be, the pair I sport were Made in India (for a change) and came right out of the excellent Eye care facility in my hometown of Chennai. Its been one boring evening, and I even tried sleeping through it. But I would not be able to sleep either, mainly due to the fact that my dad woke me up with a phone call all the way from 8700 miles away, but also considering that my previous several weekends had all been fun filled and this silence and emptiness in the house somehow seem strange.

We have an excellent collection of Indian restaurants on a street called El Camino Real (No I am not calling the Real Madrid football players Kamineys, although they are ;)) but still I chose to eat fries and milkshake at Mcdonald's. Could it be perhaps that I am reminded of those umpteen road trips on I-90 and I-81 where we always stopped at this particular eatery to grab the very same thing-I guess it could! The milkshake still rocks there and I have no reason to complain except for the fact that being a vegetarian thats always my order at MacD's. As for travelling on the highways to tour around some visually breathtaking parts of the country, that dream will have to wait here in California. The main reason for this being that its going to be another month before I get at least my learner's permit thanks to an ever-crowded DMV office. People also say that it will take a further 2 to 3 months to get the actual drivers license. So here I am, during this Labor Day Weekend wondering where I should plan to go in November- encouraging isn't it. I guess I'll just have to stick to visiting all places inside my head.

An air conditioner that does not work, dirty water coming from the taps, a bus fare that'll eat into my salary like piranhas latching onto any food they get and a place that will remain warm throughout the year. Whoever said California life is going to be wonderful should be gunned down unless he/she makes my life better. Alright, I'm just kidding about the gunning down part; You never know who is prowling on these blogs to get a reason to arrest me for a crime I surely did/will not commit. Come to think of it, it will be cool to have to FBI walk in to your house and push you to the wall- Ok wait, my wish list is just getting worse by the minute! Trust me, I did not take any drugs, just the superb Aloo bhaaji cooked by my roommate.

If you're still reading this post, then you are truly my fan and you deserve an award that I cannot afford. Your patience and tolerance for random ramblings is truly exceptional. On a more serious note, I have absolutely no idea why I am writing all this. Anyone who can explain this to me will get a surprise gift that I can afford. Lets see if any of you win a pair of sunglasses from me (Oops.. so much for the "Surprise" gift :))

Its good to be back

Its been a long time since I put this part of my brain to use. One of my friends started blogging, and that reminded me of the time when I had been a regular blogger writing about snowy nights and Rajnikanth entering politics. Sitting on my king size mattress (some of my friends feel thats the only size I'd be able to comfortably sleep on) I am watching Murali Vijay make his way out to the centre, to try and save India from the deep hole South Africa have put them into. But wait, lets not start talking about cricket here, I can get carried away completely. My personal heater is running at full blast in spite of the central heater doing its job. The reason, of course, is that Syracuse has decided to throw a late (but latest) and severe winter at us. When it was still the first week of December and my friends felt that the winter was going to be delayed, I was delighted to not see heavy snowfall yet and insisted that winter would be short but fierce. Well, its fierce alright, but it looks like this winter will last for a long time to come.

Amidst all this I make sure that I have all the fun possible. Yes, I do get busy with classes and work, but that doesn't keep me from having fun. I am answering very interesting questions on Facebook with every passing day. Some of them get interesting answers out of me, but most of them I just skip because they ask me if I'd go out on date with guys(:O). I think these applications could do with a feature of detecting the user's gender and providing questions pertinent to that. What else keeps me going? The answer to that spontaneously comes out of my roommates' mouth. The new movies that keep coming out and the weekly episodes of some of the best TV serials keep me hooked to my laptop. Playing Mafia, counter strike and poker, organizing birthday and farewell parties, working at the new Ernie Davis Dining hall, have all been fun.

What really has kept me going are the many friends I have made in Syracuse. The year immediately out of my undergrad did give me many new acquaintances, but it has taken me a whole year to realize that I was clinging to my past a little too hard. At some point I had to let go and put the fond memories in the safety locker box in the memory bank of my brain. My trip to India the summer of 2009 was responsible for this. Since the beginning of the Fall of 2009, I have had a lot on my mind, but my near and dear friends have guided me through it with utmost ease. And what is the lesson I have learnt from this first quarter of my life (Some FB application told me I would live till 92 years of age :P) is that if you make good friends and help them through their tough times, then you shall be taken care of.

Alright, thats enough nonsense for my comeback blog. I will throw up some more in due course. And next time, the stuff will be more interesting to read. Till then, enjoy Sachin blaze away.