travieso

Miraculous Ferry Tickets

2011-11-30T12:23:00.000+09:00

My sister Rie and I have been looking at the ferry website to book tickets to go home to Beppu for New Year holidays. In Japan, everyone books their tickets minimum 2-3 months (some even 6!) in advance because they think there might be a lot of rush during the holidays.

So we both continuously refreshing and checking the website for availabilities. My sister even called the ferry authorities only to know that there is nothing open till Dec 31st evening (making us reach home on Jan 1st.)

I gave up the ferry thought yesterday night, deciding that we will have to take the shinkansen (Japanese bullet train) which is going to cost us exactly triple for our 4-days holiday. I have to make a trip to India in January and dont have any savings. Rie is a single mother so its a little sharp on her to pay everything for two people.

Anyways, I revised my budget my mind, "accepted the situation as it is" (ref. AOL Part1 course), and went to bed last night knowing that as long as the family is together, money is not an issue and we will be taken care of. In the end, everything always works out for the best of everyone, right?

Today morning before going to work I thought of just checking the website "incase" there was something available. And guess what.. there were 2 seats available!!!!!!!

The Universe is actually "serving" us all the time, just a little attention and all 'tensions' go away!

Breath and Relax

2010-09-25T00:40:00.002+09:00

What really motivates us - Purpose or Profit?

2010-09-20T21:41:00.002+09:00

What really drives us? Money, power fame…really? What’s behind our hunch that money is not everything? Why do people give so much of their time to volunteering? Companies from Wikipedia to Skype, the Peace Corps to Art of Living show that millions of people love to give their time to a volunteer activity and will! What really drives us? Watch this video by Dank Pink, former speechwriter at the White House and writer, as he summarizes the latest research findings on human motivation at work.

A Voice for Peace & Human Values

2010-08-19T23:37:00.001+09:00

平和と人的価値の呼び掛け

The Art of Living Foundation Art of Living Japan / アートオブリビングジャパン

One+One=Eleven

2010-06-28T14:40:00.001+09:00

My twin (Isha) and her hubby (Sparsh)'s interview in the Deccan Chronicle on June 27, 2010.

An inspiring article on the strength and success that new-age couples find from being life partners to work mates.

Radiance

2010-06-10T00:27:00.009+09:00

The core of anything in the universe is love.

Anjana, the chimpanzee has played the role of a mother not only to these twin tiger cubs, Mitra and Shiva, but also to quite a few leopards, lions and orangutans. She lives in the Miami zoo and helps out with the care of many baby animals from time to time.

There are a zillion pictures of her with different animal babies, but these two were my favorites. I'm amazed at the immense love that shines through their eyes.. you can literally see them glow!

Dream on 2012

2010-05-30T13:18:00.006+09:00

I dreamt last night that in 2012, when the planets align, Earthlings are called upon by people from another planet (by people I mean, "people" not "aliens").

It's going to happen in a day's time when humans will have to just "leave" or abandon the Earth to go inhabit another planet.
Reason: we have polluted the Earth to a level that there wouldn't be any other way to make it better other than for the Earth to re-form/ renew itself. With the humans gone it will be able to do so at peace, send all the garbage, that we've created, under the sea (like the previous civilizations) and become better.

Believing that this Universe is our home, people (with developed powers and awareness, who respect life, their planet, are friendly to one another) will pick a few thousand chosen humans at their discretion and will, to share their planet and take up the task to make us like them.

You might ask "Why are humans saved if we're unwanted by our own planet?"
There is goodness in every heart. Every person knows what favors their own and their loved ones' growth. It is only the desire for small pleasures in short run, that we miss the boat that's beneficial in the long run.
Seeing this aspect of humans that is hid beneath all the dust particles of 'me, I, mine', some are chosen.

アースデイ２０１０

2010-04-23T00:17:00.002+09:00

"Wisdom is considering the Earth as your Valentine."

- Sri Sri

“智恵ある人は、地球を恋人のように思っています。”

- シュリシュリ

Sakura 2010

2010-04-12T03:46:00.005+09:00

These three are my favs of them all ...

Lotus look-a-likes loaded on a tree ~

This tree is exclusive~ I haven't seen another...

Bella Gaia

2010-04-12T03:08:00.008+09:00

Bella Gaia (Beautiful Earth) is the BEST production I've seen in my life.

Visuals of the earth from space, taken by NASA astronauts, fused with the hypnotizing violin of Kenji Williams.

He tours all around the world so if he's in your town, make sure you GO FOR IT.. It's a experience you'll treasure forever..

Here's a small trailer.

we are No.1

2010-03-16T23:39:00.000+09:00

Souma and Shreya

February 2010

Back to Rokkakudo

2010-03-16T23:32:00.001+09:00

After staying in the Rokkakudo temple (Kyoto) for a month during my internship at Ikenobo Ikebana, I never got a chance to revisit until recently.

.. it felt like home.

other end of the spectrum

2010-02-13T13:11:00.002+09:00

School without the kids is no school at all...

My fellow Japanese teachers are all taking a long weekend off because of the national holiday on Thursday. Even if I had one teacher here with me it wouldn't have been this bad. I feel as though the kids are all hiding somewhere and might jump out and scare me.

There have been a lot of firsts over the past few days, and one on the emotional level has been the realization of comprehending my parents saying, "Home isn't home when you kids leave for school after summer/winter break." On the other hand I can also understand the excitement teachers, who lived on the school campus, felt when they saw students back on the Welham Girls' campus.

Channelizing this feeling of longing for all the noise and play with kids into something creative - like decorating the classrooms or making props for the upcoming Hansel and Gretel story in the books - is going to be the task of the day.

Anywho, I better come back from dreamy clouds, live in the present moment, be grateful for all the love that poures in various forms and most of all, take a bike ride in the warm sun.

Do you have it in you?

2010-01-23T13:58:00.003+09:00

"Are you in control when youre sleeping or when youre dreaming? No Are you in control of any other function in your body? Your heart is pumping all by itself. The food you stuff in the stomach gets digested all by itself. Do you have any control over them? Are you in control of the Sun and Moon moving around the globe or even the globe rotating on itself? Are you in control of the thoughts that come into your head?

So, when you realize you really do not have any control over all major things that are happening in you life, youll stand up and laugh. Oh, what am I thinking, am I in control of something? Then you will realize that the idea that you are in control is an illusion. And then you relax. And that relaxed state is called surrender.

When you cannot surrender, then you make effort, and effort makes you surrender. So when you say, I cannot relax, I will say, Ok, hold your fists tight and tight and tight. Then, when I ask you to make it tighter and you cannot do that, what do you do? Being tired, you just drop. This is coming to the other end with effort.

Judgment is very similar to self- blame and blaming others. We have to get out of this vicious circle of self-judgment. That is also the state of surrender. When you have surrendered to the Divine that means that you no longer judge yourself. Self-judgment is not necessary.

A child is so innocent, why? Because the child doesnt judge itself."

- Posted using BlogPress App for iPhone

Dreams

2010-01-22T12:21:00.003+09:00

At night my mind does not much care

If what it thinks is here or there.

It tells me stories it invents

And makes up things that don't make sense.

I don't know why it does this stuff.

The real world seems quite weird enough.

- Bill WattersoN

The Indispensable Calvin & Hobbes

Yummy Shark Tummy

2010-01-19T00:11:00.005+09:00

Saturday marked the end of a crazy week with Yuna (a very shy 3yr-old) walking into class jumping and giving me high-five’s. She was thrilled not to find Yuichi (an extremely hyper 4yr-old) in the class, who always comes into class with a long face but by the end of it has drained all energies out of Yuna and me with his notorious games and doings of throwing everything around the room.

Yuna was so excited that instead of our customary 3 nursery rhymes we did 5 with her jumping at the end of every song. I wouldn’t lie that was slightly relieved when 10 mins had gone and Yuichi hadn’t turned up, but even when he did that day, he was too sober and very sweet to both of us.

You see, most kids who come to study English (over the weekend of any weekday after school) dont really want to be there. They would rather be glued to their dear Nintendo or PS for an hour. Thus, there is a cold war between humans (i.e. me as a teacher) and these awesome mind-boggling gadgets to compete for the love and attention of a child. This is why we are told to have tons of games during lessons so that the kids feel like they’re playing instead of learning a foreign language.

Slam, Memory and Dice games are everyone’s favorites. Recently I introduced a game “Yummy Yummy in Shark Tummy”. Each student had a fish stickers with their name put on the board which was filled with 10 bubbles put in descending order. 1 being was lowest was in the shark’s mouth! Every wrong answer got the players closer to the shark and in the end, so they had to try and speak correctly. The game was a bit gruesome for some kids but most of them crazily enjoyable and laughed off their seats.

Without fail, no matter the age, students were thrilled seeing me be the first Yummy Yummy in Shark Tummy... kids today are wicked!!!

(Need to get back to work to take shots of the shark n fish cards. Will upload pictures in a day or two.)

New Horizons

2009-12-17T15:17:00.005+09:00

Start to a new year with another birthday. Im 25yrs old today and it's my second birthday without twin being here with me (no worries, she's healthy and wealthy in India.. jeez!) Strangely enough I feel closer to her than ever before (distance makes the heart go fonder.. closer??)

She called exactly as 00hrs struck in Japan. I had a few yummies here and the candles were lit, ready to be blown away. So we counted 1, 2, 3 and blew~ Silly and childlike as it sounds, it was the best blowing candles I've done in years :) Working in a kids school is definitely catching on. I laugh almost at any situation and my giggling has increased manifolds!

Newho~ I'm older by an additional 3.5hrs now (cuz India is 3.5hrs behind Japan time)!!!

A strip from today's Calvin & Hobbes in 1995. Found it quite appropriate~

Lots of Love to everyone all over the world reading (or not) this post.

Celebrate each day and smile more often

Best Santa of them all

2009-12-15T15:43:00.002+09:00

Christmas List

2009-12-11T00:55:00.002+09:00

Great, greater, greatest

2009-12-02T00:15:00.004+09:00

Be not afraid of greatness.

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, some have greatness thrust upon them.

Take the first chance to be great today.

You are the Source

2009-11-30T21:49:00.008+09:00

"If you are given 10 compliments and 1 insult, you will hold on to that 1 insult. You will forget all the 10 compliments.

Similarly, in life there is 80% joy: 80% happiness and 20% problems but your mind makes that 20% into 200%. Life isnt only disappointments. There can be only one disappointment - that is about your mind. Expecting wrong things at the wrong places, making wrong choices.

You dont have to be disappointed in life about many things. You be disappointed about only one thing that is your own mind. When this mind is causing so much problem, why dont you drop it? Why you hang on to that mind?

Have you done something about your mind? Have you learnt to drop it or tune it? It is just out of tune I tell you, it needs a bit servicing (Laughter). If you service your mind you will see everything is proper. It runs properly on wheels."

- Excerpt from a discourse "You are the Source" by Sri Sri Ravishankar,

The Art of Living Foundation

... ... ... ... ...

This path is not a place where you have to keep a long face all the time, to be so serious that you are digging the mountain. Here you sing, dance, listen to knowledge, sit still and meditate.. all the aspects have come together here.. isn't it !!

Meditate, celebrate, serve and smile.

You are Love, You are Joy!

2009-11-28T00:55:00.004+09:00

Life is a single skip for joy...

first day with kids

2009-11-22T01:19:00.004+09:00

What do you do when the kids you are teaching English to are having a conversation, in their mother tongue (in my case Japanese), unaware that you understand every word they are saying??

Today was my first day of work at Codomo GEOS. I had expected it to be a nightmare which, to my relief, it wasn't. I taught a range of kids from 2yrs to 12yrs. All the lesson's target phrases were learnt through silly games I prepared. For the first time in my life I felt exposed cuz the kids rip you apart by scrutinizing and commenting on every part of your physical and mental state. For instance, a group of 6yr olds concluded that I was from the moon cuz I wore circular earrings, pendant and bangle all of which were silver in color. After this they started talking about all the countries I could possibly be from Arabia because I wore heavy eyeliner.

Throughout the lesson I was emotionally charged up hearing so many comments in Japanese. They had no idea I understood the language and went on about things casually. But Im barred from speaking in Japanese to them because if they find out they will always talk to me in Japanese - which is not the reason of coming to an English conversations school.

To conclude, at my first day of work I -

- was mostly red in the face cuz the kids scrutinized everything I did

- heard tons of weird comments abt every instructions I gave

- said "mo-ikkai", the Japanese for one more time instead of saying it in English (what kind of an English teacher am I? lol)

- learnt that planning your lesson before a class is THE MOST important thing

- realized that the lesson may never go according to plan

But then again everyday is different and new. For now I've 2 days of holiday starting tmr during which I am going to sleep. Yipeeeeee!! :)

More musings later...

The Speaking Tree - The Times of India, 11 Aug 2009

2009-11-19T09:51:00.006+09:00

Young people today engaged in self-exploration are looking for inner peace. They question the relevance of rituals and religious practices. Religion needs to be reinterpreted to suit the context of modern times; otherwise today’s youth might lose faith in Sanatana Dharma – the timeless faith.

The hallmark of Hindu tradition has been its great capacity to adapt itself to the lifestyles of people without losing its identity, and helping seekers focus on attaining the transcendent absolute.

The inquiry into the nature of God and self, and the practices thereof could be termed as the Hindu way of life. The ultimate aim of a Hindu is God-realisation through the spiritual practices he adopts. It is a way of life which respects and accepts all paths to self-realisation.

Hinduism is based upon the qualities of acceptance, absorption, continuous change and expansion. It is thus a dynamic, living, ever-growing set of ideas, rituals and spiritual practices. It incorporates constant acceptance and freedom of thought for all other Religions of the World.

One cannot be ‘converted’ to Hinduism. For every other religion, there are ‘rites of baptism’. Hindus consider that everyone is naturally on a journey to reach a higher awareness through the cycle of birth and death; and that the soul continuously reincarnates to experience Karmas – the effects of actions performed in earlier incarnations. This is something automatic.

In a way, everyone who is trying to explore their divinity is practising Hinduism.

Hinduism is a way of life and does not conflict with any religion for it is simply the commitment to search for the truth. One does not have to give up one’s religious identity to follow Hindu practices.

The greatness of Hinduism lies in its infinite capacity of acceptance and allowance. As long as an individual is mindful of ‘raising consciousness’ – of self, community, and humanity as a whole, one is following tenets of Hindu religion.

This has been termed as ‘Shreya’ – the essence of the Hindu way of life, in a single word.

(Finally know the meaning of my name :P tee.hee.hee)

- Relevance Of A Faith That Is Timeless

by Deepam Chatterjee

The Times of India, 11 Aug 2009

Tralaaa~ Tokyo .. "I'll be back!"

2009-11-12T11:23:00.008+09:00

The past two weeks have been remarkable.

I visit my Japanese family in Beppu for the birth of my sister's baby. The baby girl, was late by 9days and finally born after I cooked a huge Indo-Mexican meal for my would-be-mommy-sister. I was utterly happy! I also spent sometime with my nephew, Souma, who is the most outspoken 2yr-old-japanese boy I've met.

Beppu is also the city where I lived for 4yrs during my Undergrad at Ritsumeikan APU so it holds a special place in my heart. I met up with a friends over softball game practice and had dinner with two of my English language students, Kimiko and Miki. Miki, who now has 3 grown up kids, is a busy mom and it was amazing to see her manage the crazy lot. She had 3 kids in a span of 4yrs and her eldest, Ryunosuke, is 4 while Kaede and Aoi are 3 and 1.

During the entire trip I realized how much energy goes into raising kids. After the age of 25 life sort of 'seems' stagnant cuz our face doesnt develop that much and all the pictures look the same with a few pounds here and there. But with kids every month is different from the previous cuz you can see how they change and grow-up :P I found a new (probably hidden)sense of respect for my own parents for raising 5 of us siblings, who so different from one another. It still is quite a job handling us all together!

Since my return to Tokyo last Sunday, I have been hopping from one friend's place to another's. I will be relocating to Hikone city, near the largest freshwater lake Biwa-ko, to work for GEOS for Kids. Im super excited about this chance as, at some point of time in my life, I want to write books for kids and getting a chance to be with them this close is electrifying!

Anyways, with tons of new changes saying goodbyes is always the toughest. But if I never go how will I ever return home?

Tralaaa~ Tokyo .. "I'll be back!"

Polar Bears are huggable

2009-09-24T21:18:00.012+09:00

Polar bears have to be at the top of my favorite animals' list.

This piece reveals my feelings towards these magnificent and endangered creatures.

* Everything, big or small, effects the universe no matter whether we're aware of it or not. Take responsibility for the environment and know that you make an impact.

better version on Flickr

The Art of Living

2009-09-23T18:20:00.004+09:00

We live in a rapidly changing world where things are becoming multicultural at an exceedingly fast rate. We are introduced to so much information that it gets a bit difficult to keep up with all thats going on "within" ourselves and in our minds while being constantly on the move.

The Art of Living courses help us have a mind free from prejudice and judgments by tapping the breath which, as you all know, is vital to our existence and also connects our body, mind and emotions.

For instance, if you notice our breaths change according to our emotions. When we are upset or angry, exhalation, sighs, hmphs are frequent as compared to when we're happy or excited, we inhale, laugh or gasp more often.

So, when these three rhythms in us are in sync, we feel a sense of harmony and well-being :)

You should try it, it is an amazing experience!

Lady Elf

2009-09-20T22:41:00.004+09:00

The first artwork created by my new palette of Winsor and Newton Cotman watercolors.

Love the way her hair turned out.

better version on Flickr

Buddha

2009-09-17T21:20:00.004+09:00

BETTER VERSION ON FLICKR

Japan Chronicles

2009-09-15T10:39:00.010+09:00

BETTER VERSION ON FLICKR

Charlie's Angels

2009-09-15T00:06:00.015+09:00

Being a former student of Welham Girls' School, India, I create designs for t-shirts and greeting cards that are sold as souvenirs during school events.

The funny looking dots on the girls' uniforms are, what we at Welham, call "tadpoles". They are a Welhamite's identity - a print every girl associates herself with and can't do without after living in the boarding school for 8 years.

BETTER VERSION ON FLICKR

I Have Wings

2009-09-14T23:51:00.021+09:00

Illustrations for I Have Wings coffee-table book released as a memento for Welham Girls' School's 50th Anniversary in 2007.

BETTER VERSION ON FLICKR

Pegasus and the Ladies

2009-09-11T10:38:00.014+09:00

The character of Pegasus in Disney's Hercules has been a personal favorite since I first laid eyes on him in 1997.

I had used Pegasus in a black & white illustration I created for my high school magazine, Chrysalis, in 2006. To add some perspective to the illustration I have been itching to remake it in color ever since and finally did so only a few weeks back.

I love both the works and here it is in color.

BETTER VERSION ON FLICKR

The Lifesaver

2009-08-07T09:47:00.008+09:00

With growing urbanization and slums around the globe, the number of deaths caused by drinking contaminated dirty water is on the rise. We wonder how we could efficiently provide these people and secure ourselves of having this basic commodity no matter where we go.

Well, here is the solution. Its called The Lifesaver.

If you're like me and you'd rather watch than read, check out a talk given by its founder Michael Pritchard at one of the TED conferences.

The Lifesaver is a safe, easy-to-use water purifier that can make the most revolting water drinkable in seconds.

Why spend money on mineral water or wait for a natural calamity to hit?

Get your own Lifesaver now.

Making the Right decision

2009-07-29T17:07:00.025+09:00

Sometimes when logic prevails, we ignore our gut feelings, understanding later that a rational approach was only one way of determining the situation.

After much debate in my own head I took up a 9-to-5 job in a Japanese company as my gateway into the world. Between testing & cleaning machines and experiencing the comfortable life in sub-urban Tokyo I made peace with the usual office chores that almost all my friends are mentally (if not physically) doing with their lives in Japan.

I had taken up this job by looking at patterns in lives of people around me. While I associated myself with them I also convinced myself that the same is bound for me unless fate makes things happen.

Now, after one and a half years, I realize that we are never given anything unless we truly have the desire for it.

Fate, chance, luck - exists only in our hearts and minds to help us achieve what we want. But the first step into seeing that dream has to be ALWAYS done by us alone.

I decided to quit my job just before they moved me into the highly respectable Sales office so that I can pursue my dream of studying art.

At work some mates told me its crazy to QUIT a 'secured' in this economic situation while my bosses said its a crazy idea altogether to go school when I'm already making a living.

I know all of the above are true. But more than anything else I know I am not going to be one of those who lives their entire life only realizing in the last days that I could have been somebody had I done it differently.

Its always harder to do the right than the easier wrong.

What follows after 20th August might be an easy or a difficult set of experiences. But I know I will MAKE my own path, look back and smile at whatever was.

Solar Eclipse - limelight or ill omen?

2009-07-22T15:35:00.013+09:00

While the world marveled the total solar eclipse 2009 earlier today morning, my Japanese workmates in Tokyo were least interested to know anything about it.

Occurring for the first time in 46yrs, the next predicted to be in 2132, the sun, moon and earth aligned themselves for 6 mins 39 secs to create near darkness after dawn in Asia and the Pacific regions.

I was thrilled to receive constant updates in Japan from my twin sister who watched the eclipse in our hometown of Patna (India), which was one of ideal cities to view the occurrence. She told me that her excitement matched nothing compared to that of one of our helpers at home, whose small village of Taregna was the BEST spot to view the eclipse.

With more than two lakh researchers, astronomers, scientists and people from across the globe descend in Taregna to view the event, the villagers didn't know what they had done to deserve the sudden limelight. Taregna (means "stars" in the local language) and nearby Khagual (derived from khagshastra which means "astronomy") are the places where the 6th century astronomer-mathematician ARYABHATTA* had camped and built his observatory at the Sun Temple for his studies.

*ARYABHATTA found the notion of zero and also proposed that the earth rotates on its axis.

It gave me a kick to think that in India, where superstitions sometimes takes the excitement out of people's lives (like the eclipse being a bad omen i.e. a triumph of the evil over good) people, even in a rural areas, were more concerned whether they would get a view of the eclipse more than anything else.

For me this a positive change in the mindset and I don't think there are any ill omens to it. Moreover, it is inspiring to see people be in awe of the universe unlike my workmates in Japan who don't seem to care about anything.

Life is to enjoy, celebrate and be happy about and not just stare at a screen 24/7.

Scared to be ME?

2009-06-18T16:11:00.003+09:00

I am going through an artist’s block these days.

After attending my very first SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) in Tokyo last week, I was enthused to create a portfolio like no other for my art school applications. Since majority of my works are illustrations in black & white (owing to the format of a students’ magazine I was a part of during high school), I wasn’t sure whether presenting these drawings would be good enough to get me into a school.

Almost every one of the designers and authors I met at SCBWI network meeting said that I should remake a few illustrations by adding colors to them. Getting suggestions from people who were in the field I am hoping to plunge into, I put my energy in asking them for as much feedback and advice as possible. They reciprocated and were kind enough to give me tips on page layouts, backgrounds, designs and most importantly – on creating a storyline while showcasing my work.

All said and done, I returned to my den excited as crazy on Thursday with scraps of paper and visiting cards but then the weekend came along and turned me upside down, taking away my thrills.

The weirdest thought occurred to me just before I sat to start my first illustration re-make. I was scared as hell to re-do my own drawings, petrified whether I will be able to re-create it or not. Being a person extremely annoyed with distorted and imperfect pictures, especially if I am the artist, I have been holding back for a week now to work on my own portfolio.

Ironically, I need to gather strength and support from me to be me!

Switch to Electric?

2009-06-17T11:11:00.015+09:00

An overview of BETTER PLACE, the leading electric vehicle (EV) services provider, catalyzing the transition to sustainable transportation -

Although we have consumed only 30% of the Earth’s proven reserves, much of the remaining supply is locked away in unconventional sources like tar sands and deep water, making it far more expensive to extract.

Over the last 100 years, oil has fueled industrial development, mobility and prosperity for much of the world. Future progress will be made possible by new sources of energy.

A sustainable electric automotive solution is vital to economic opportunity, energy independence and a cleaner planet. Never have the prospects been better. Consumers are enthusiastic about the shift to electric vehicles (EVs) and their potential to eliminate exposure to surges in gas prices, foster new job opportunities, and reduce CO2 emissions and improve air quality. Governments are increasingly supportive as they look to stimulate weakened economies and improve trade balances. Automakers are developing an increasingly diverse range of new electric powered vehicles in hopes of revitalizing exceptionally weak consumer demand.

View my MINIFESTO!

The meaning of Travieso

2009-06-17T10:52:00.002+09:00

It completely slipped out of my mind to explain the meaning of my blog "stash-travieso" on Blogspot.

For starters, Travieso is a Spanish word, with a number of meanings.
Some of these are - transverse, oblique, Restless (inquieto), uneasy, flighty, knavish, turbulent, noisy; mischievous.
Its not that I chose Travieso because a number of people mistake me for being a Spanish/Mexican.
What amazes me is that an English word can sound really cool by adding an "o" or " i " at the end of it. You know what I mean... finito, momento, inquieto !!!
I seriously feel I would enjoy learning Spanish and have the ability to become pretty good it.
But with my present toils to cope with speaking and learn Japanese at work make me tired.

Nonetheless, given the right frame of mind and time, I think I will give it a shot to learn some Spanish !!!

How fish leads to Absinthe

2009-04-08T15:51:00.008+09:00

Hearing about a friend's visit to Tsukiji, the largest seafood market in the world, I couldnt stop myself from searching for videos of it online. Enormous fish being brought in, sliced, packed and frozen for the sushi eating Japanese was pretty amazing!!!!

As usual I got caught up on youtube and watched a couple of big tuna fishing videos, which led me to read a few chapters of the online version of THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA(you see, the old man used to catch marlins!!) Then I started reading about Hemingway ('cuz he was the author of OMS) and began wondering why he shot himself. This made me discover that he drank heaps of ABSINTHE (which causes mental instability) and that one of its cocktails is actually called DEATH IN THE AFTERNOON (cuz Hemingway shot himself in the afternoon). This led to articles on the origins of absinthe, how it has medicinal value but then it was banned cuz a couple of people started to go high on it, and what is its status quo.

Soon enough I realized I had spent an hour and a half reading/viewing/searching/finding stuff on the internet just as I used to flip through channels on the TV as a kid.

I have tons of weird information that can help me initiate good conversations on any of the above topics. But is it really going to help me anywhere??

God bless the internet, the new idiot-box.

Aesthetic alteration or a painful experience?

2009-04-07T12:45:00.025+09:00

My first tattoo sprang out of a rush of heat in the summer of 2006.

It was the graduation of four of my closest friends and 3 of us, including me, had planned to get ourselves printed-on before D-day. The graduates were tied up in their packing and throwing away sprees of clothes, furniture and what not (everyone collects crazy stuff over 4 years of life in Japan), I was left alone.

It was a now or never situation and so... I went for it.

Deep Tattoo Studio is a small white structure behind Shidax karaoke. Even though the building looked unfinished from the inside with its revealed skeleton of grey pipelines and beams, I could feel the "hygiene" on entering the studio with the faint smell of antiseptic in air.

After 10 mins of brainstorm I decided it was safe to get a Japanese kanji cuz I didn't want to freak out myself more than anyone else by getting cats, snakes or any sort of creepy design, plus a kanji would represent my life in Japan. I didn't want the usual cliches 幸福、調和、愛、平和 (happiness, prosperity, love & peace) instead smth that looked cool yet complex with tons of sharp strokes and I settled for 優.

'Yu' can be written using different kanji characters and can have meanings that range from benevolent, amiable & fond to excel & superior.

A stencil with the kanji print was pasted on my right shoulder and then the outline, shading and filling started. For each of the three process there was a different kind of needle used. The process wasn't painful although I do recall it being similar to a million ants crawling over me. Once the tattoo was complete I was bandaged properly and given a small box of tattoo-goo for the aftercare.

I was excited like a newborn I galloped on my way home.

x x x

With puzzled "Did it hurt?" and "Why did you do it?" from friends and family it has been three years since. I still smile at these questions and look forward to getting a new one soon...

The acting is Abysmal... Watchmen (3/10)

2009-03-31T15:28:00.012+09:00

" This is, after all, a movie where the lead character is a naked blue man on steroids who uses his super powers to duplicate himself and have a me and myself threesome with his superbabe.
... ... ... ... ...
With the exception of Jackie Earl Haley's Rorschach, the acting is abysmal, particularly MArin Ackerman's Silk Specter, who after being teleported to another planet, exclaims "OHMYGAWD, we're on Mars!" She also gets the fakest looking sex scene this side of "Showgirls" with Patrick Wilson's Nite Owl. (And fans of Leonard Cohen will wince at the cheap use of his song "Halleluja" here.) "

Source http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ff20090327a2.html

For starters, we didn’t have a clue of how these superheroes got their powers in the first place. I got the point that they all had messed up childhoods and were pretty down to earth and pissed about humans being a bunch of loonies trying to kill each other and fighting all the time. But Watchmen were the SUPERHEROES!!

There was nothing super heroic about the character of Rorschach except his paint-moving mask or the Night Owl, a simple man in love with the superbabe, or the superbabe herself who waves her black hair in the yellow latex jumpsuit every now and then.

There were a LOT of unnecessary flesh-muscle-blood flying around in the movie, especially the scene with two diseased dogs fighting over a little girl's leg for meat was highly gruesome and uncalled for. I mean, the audiences have a heart you know!!! Even 300 or Dark Knight - which got into a bit of controversy for the amount of violence - were far from being this insensitive.

The only character in the movie having actual super powers was the blue man Dr. Manhattan - was naked 90% of the time!! He wore nice suits once in a while but seriously how about trying on a pair of boxers or briefs for the rest of the movie? It would have saved the audiences from having scary dreams of your blue weenie.

I guess the movie made sense only to those who have read the book because it gave them super visuals of what they had read. It was something like the Da Vinci Code, where the audience was a bit clueless about what was going on had they not read the book earlier (and Tom Hanks hair was unforgettable).

All in all, I would rate Watchmen as a 3 on 10. Those who see it, might do so on their own peril.

Realization of Death

2009-03-06T14:51:00.006+09:00

I have often wondered how we understand the concept of death.

When my grandfather passed away in 1990 I was only 6years old. My twin and I were rushed out of our classroom and taken home. As we came into the living room I saw my grandfather lie on the floor covered with white sheets. To me he looked sound asleep and I wondered why he wouldn't just wake up when there were so many people around him.

We wandered from one room to another noticing that crying was a common practice in all of them. She saw my bewildered expression and said "He's never coming back again." I didn't understand what she meant so I replied "From where?"
And she shushed me down.

It was 1995 and my family had broken its journey in Delhi on their way to seeing us twins off to Welham, a girls boarding school in Dehradun.
I had a strange dream that night. I was in a battlefield and my neck had been slashed open - causing my head to continuously tilt backwards because of lack of support. It was gruesome. I ran from soldier to soldier in the dream, asking them to stitch me back so that I could carry on fighting against the enemy, but no one could hear or see me.
This was the first time I understood death.

The next day I hung on to my aunt, mum & dad throughout the journey, continuously stroking them to make sure they were there (looking at family members with a fear of losing them can be highly traumatizing for a 10year old).
I have tried to re-dream that battlefield for as long as I can remember, but I still haven't been able to stitch my neck back.

Death is the end of life whether we acknowledge it or not.
Even though I am bad at saying goodbyes, I think its realization ever since that day gave me the freedom and strength to dream, be fearless of losing people or moving places, because in the end we stand alone to leave and gather memories of those we love.

a-wake or a-sleep

2009-02-25T09:22:00.006+09:00

A normal Wednesday, my alarm went off at 7am, I got out of bed, walked through the kitchen to the bathroom, brushed and was taking a shower when I realized that my alarm was ringing again it was 7.30 and I was still in bed!

This was a weird incident for me because even though I have very realistic dreams, today was the first time I believed that I could sleep while making my body do smth I didn’t want to do – i.e. get out of bed in the cold to take a shower.

I have heard of kids peeing in their beds, but showering... lolz, that would have been a sight!
Neways,
I think its a sign to hit the bed @ 10pm tonight!!
My consciousness really needs a break from worldly winter rain, cold and creative TED talks :)

Getting out of the puddle

2009-02-03T11:18:00.008+09:00

Consumers or Creators on HIGHER GROUNDE - A must read !

I think am definitely working or at least trying hard to become a creator so that I can live my life the way I want to. But the attractions of a consumer’s life - the new iPhone or an overseas trip on my company's expense, just keep enticing my mind from putting in my 100% in achieving my goals.

I read somewhere that all material goods have a short lifespan, a snap and their happiness fades away like a dream.

There is no doubt that once we have achieved a certain level of maturity in the field that is most suitable for us, all the things that we crave now IS easily accessible and their pleasures are certainly more satisfying if not forever-lasting.

If we understand and know all of this, why is it so hard to channel our energies to take actions that will make us happy in the long-term? Why does the mind get stuck?

I guess I will stop brooding over such thoughts and figure it out on "the road to my higher grounde..."

Sneak-Peek Week

2009-01-22T14:26:00.015+09:00

Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis

- a quick look -

being extra 'chanto'..

2009-01-15T09:51:00.011+09:00

Im just sooooooooo mad right now.

First of all, this ex-boss of mine pesters to provide a pick-up everyday to Yon and me, saying that its too bad we don’t get transportation fee cuz we live within 2 kms of our office.
Now, he’s supposed to come between 8~8:10 every morning to pick us up, and today he royally forgets to not only come but doesn’t even call to inform us!!!!!

I mean, there is a perfectly secure and an on-time bus service that runs from my place to the office, but noooo Yon says, “Shrezza~, we should not spend 170yen when we he is being so generous“… for WHAT !!

So today morning, when he reached our house at 8:20 (BTW, first bell for work goes off at 8.25am), he called Yon to tell her that he already punched our time-cards at the office since he was there earlier, so we can be late.
Now Yon, for some reason skipped ‘him’ punching our cards, and tells me to call Bunpo – who works with us – to ask him to put our cards. So I message Bunpo, who puts in the cards too.

On reaching work, Yon and I go to see if Bunpo did as instructed and we find that both our cards are signed in at 8:01(ex-boss’s punched in time) and then signed out at 8.29 (Bunpo’s punched in time).
Since I am usually unaware of the dates and days, I think that 15th was yesterday, conclude that NOONE punched our cards, and slide my card into the machine before Yon gives out a faint ‘nooo Shreza’ when the machine prints a bright red 8.35am… i.e. I messed up!!!!!

So now MY card has 3 different times on it Yon has 2 but moreover, I have one that is bright RED in color… perfectO
You know, this is the reason I always do my work on my own. I do not trust people - especially those who laugh like jackasses saying ‘you never listen to me and always raise your voice when I am saying something’. Well mister, you’re crazy and too old to get stuff into your head, who wants to hear it from you, you tried to act smart and it backfired BIGTIME putting our creditability at stake!!

I come late and even take extra holidays (for which the company cuts my salary as it is against the soul of a Japanese to do so) and I’ll prolly go to jail in the Japanese hell for these bad conducts- all said and done, I take do as I please, suffer the consequences, I even pay for it and I don’t look back.

But I do not lie or ask ppl to put cards in to ‘show’ that I am always on-time and chanto (i.e. extra cautious and proper in Japanese) sumi-freaking-masen!!!
Im just soo mad right now… aarrggh…

To top it all, when I told him that it was his mistake and we should have just let our cards be as they were - cuz we were late by mere 5mins - he has the balls to laugh hysterically and say that he is the highest ranking person in the office, and so I should not disagree with him. Uh, earth to dumbass, you messed up and me look like a stupid person...
Do hell with it!
If the HR says anything to me, I will tell them it was his fault.
Moreover, I am commuting to and from work on my own starting today evening after work, I don’t care a rat’s ass what he or Yon or anyone else thinks.

I am done listening and having this crazy-old-japanese-man snigger at me all the time.

home again

2009-01-08T08:49:00.008+09:00

Happy New Years Everyone!!

Im back in Japan and still NOT in the back-to-work mode.

My new year's trip was a blast esp. becuz I met up with friends after 5yrs of high school graduation. The years we haven't seen each other for didnt matter. We have all started working and a lot has happened in each of our lives ever since we left school, but none of it mattered or showed in the manner we behaved with each other - We were 18 again (and it happened quite naturally!!!) hahaha

I realized that friends are there just to remind us of who we are, what we dream of, and to believe and become what we want.

Have been feeling grateful for all those I have shared my life with.

Thank you all for being there :)
Tons of Love and Hugs

* Twinnie *

2009-01-07T22:49:00.005+09:00

Being in Japan without Isha makes me feel like a single kid for the first time in my life.

Whenever someone asked me - how does it feel to be a twin, I just said "its normal" because I never had an answer. But I think its the biggest support and strength I have been given.

We occasionally met up after starting work in April in different cities, but the constant status updates by either messages or calls every-30mins after work kept us informed abt whats happening/happened in our daily lives.

Now I feel like being left alone in open sea, I dont know what to swim towards, and more than anything else, I dont have her with me.

*Note to Self: Im not as depressed as this post sounds, just overwhelmed that there is no more of Ish-n-Shre together in Japan anymore.

brim full of changes as the year gets over..

2008-12-22T10:44:00.006+09:00

My last day at work for 2008 today!! I’m leaving for the US tomorrow afternoon.
It was a crazy decision to make, and its going to be a WILD trip with a reunion of school friends after almost 6yrs~ I am excited, yet a lil tipsy abt how the next year will be when I come back in Jan 09!!

Thinking over all that happened this year brings tons of mixed feelings.
A lot of crazy occurances took place, and (hopefully) theyve made me as strong as the change they brought with them. Working in a Japanese company, I spoke enough about it so I wouldn’t go over the topic in this entry again :P Having said that, out of the three major changes this year (including the former), my twin’s engagement stood second on the list, smth I am still trying to make peace with.

I am the most excited - after her - and extremely happy she is going to spend her life with such an amazing person. I have no doubt they will have an incredible life together. But having been with her continuously for 24yrs is inbuilt into my system since before I was born. Marriage brings one of the greatest changes in a person’s character, and relationships esp. between siblings become quite delicate. (I remember everyday I would change the topic or simply run away whenever we were alone at home, because I didn’t want her to tell me that she had made up her mind to get married, and thus, was ready to leave home.)

Smts I think one of the silliest reasons we live our life is to get really good at letting go and realizing the impermanent nature of everything around us. It brings a huge strength or it brings great fear - either of them lead to the same point - Life Changes. The bad moments go with a blink, and the good ones fly away even faster. Nothing lasts, yet we all remain.
So,
Live and Love in 2009 with greater intensity than before. May the year bring amazing experiences, and may you work towards making all your dreams come true.

With all my love,
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
xx

To scare or not to scare, that is the question

2008-12-04T15:29:00.004+09:00

About 2 weeks ago, my next door neighbor, Yon had a weird occurrence in her apartment. On reaching home returned home after work she found her laundry basket displaced about 2-3 feet from its original position of being next to the washing machine. She was certain that she hadn’t moved the object for the simple reason that Japanese apartments are space constraint and doing so would leave just about 10cms between the washbasin and the bathroom – impossible for her to stand in the middle.

Caution was the need of the hour, and we checked her house to make sure no one was in her closet, toilet, hiding under the mattress or in the bed. With all the windows and doors closed we found no evidence of someone had broken in, so we concluded that Yon must have forgotten to put the basket back in its place in the morning. As a matter of fact, most of us do our early morning chorus in a haze of sleepiness – routines like brushing ones teeth or going through laundry baskets to find a pair of semi-clean socks, isn’t something anyone pays attention to if you’re sleepy and cold.

Having said this and being certain that she was indeed too sleepy to remember the details we carried on with our dinner in our respective homes.
The next day we went to work and later that evening when we returned home, Yon gave a loud scream on entering her house. She had let the door ajar, so I ran into her room to find her standing in the center of the room pointing at the basket which had been displaced again!
For a second I thought that she might be playing a practical joke on me and had put the basket in the same position as the previous day. But the expression on her face was of anxiety and shock, and matched with mine.

We checked the inner tatami room (this time I had a pan in my hand and she had a huge roller) - whacked the quilt to see if anyone came out, checked the cupboards and bathroom again.
I realized my house was left open, so we went and locked it and quickly came back to Yon’s place. We sat and stared at the basket and called up our company’s HR department. In a jiff our supervisor came over.

We explained the happenings to her to which she gave us some very peculiar but believable explanations and told us what to do next.

(To be Continued…)

still searching

2008-10-14T10:59:00.003+09:00

Life has changed much since the last time I posted an entry.
I am now living in a small town called Isehara in Kanagawa (a bit far away from Tokyo), working in a Japanese manufacturing company that makes huge machines for famous manufacturing companies in the country.

Knowing about machines, like rolls, mills, their motors and working pipes and wires or even working in a factory sounds just about manageable on a temporary basis. It’s weird that unlike most others who finished university with me, I am yet to find something that I REALLY want to continue as a career. And the work I do now is definitely ‘not’ something I was expecting to do after APU, let alone it being the job I am going to do for the rest of my life.

So the question is – how is it that I find MY ultimate & perfect work (if there is smth such as that)?
Should I look into a Graduate school, or find myself an art course/job - which is one of the things I ‘think’ I can do well. But mostly I want to know how long is it going to take me to get out of my current workplace to find that something I'd love doing?

rust, rain and refrain

2008-07-08T14:33:00.005+09:00

Working in a Japanese factory can be more life altering than working in a Japanese firm.

While most of my friends in Japan sit in front of computers, mixing and matching documents or conduct surveys for the next business deal, I sit in a factory with bunch of workers who are trying hard to teach me about heat, pressure and atoms in Japanese. It only brought back memories of studying Physics, and made me realize that Im still good at making perplexed expressions when I dont comprehend what the other person is saying.

Anyhow, with the rainy season coming to an end the smell of wet leaves refreshes my days in the factory, but some of those who joined with me seem to be going insane. The smell chemicals and weird liquids is becoming an integral part of our lives. What gave us headaches and nausea earlier has now started giving us the same if not inhaled once a day. Bruises and cuts tattoo our exteriors and some of my friends have altered so much that they are able to identify whether the water they’re drinking comes from a boring-line or tank – depending on the odor of rust or pipes!!

Nevertheless, out of 4 of us who joined Inoue in 3 months back, one is quitting the company 2 months prior to his decided date. Another is going back to her country to discuss her future with parents. While the 2 of us remain here till the time we’re looking for a better option, we don’t know what is to become of us in a few months time.

This also makes me want to share an amusing event that I experienced a couple of nights ago.
After having dinner with my seniors we started playing a Japanese triumph card game. The rules were simple - players had to finish their cards ASAP, the last one to finish would get punished. Being a new player I was exempted from getting punished. But it was unfair to let a round go without any punishment so the boy who came 2nd last was the victim.

Now here’s the twist. The punishment was that every other player was to put a strip of brown tape (the thick scotch-tape used for packing in the factory) to pull out a strip of hair from the loser boys legs! I had to excuse myself from pulling strips and decided on squinting and getting goose bumps.

By the end of the 3 hrs that we played, they were pulling hair merely by tweezers cuz the tape had gotten over!! Somehow people were highly enthusiastic, laughed and cheered each time the game got over to see the next victim.

Even though it was unbelievably stupid, gross and a painful sight for me, it was hilarious ‘cuz in the end all the guys had a side of calf absolutely clean. Whether I join the next game or not I am sure the guys will be ready to show off their ‘sekushi’ legs in summer.

Random Killings

2008-06-09T19:08:00.003+09:00

I don’t know how many of you heard about the random killings that took place this weekend in Japan. There was a 25yr old man who posted a note on a Japanese ‘website’ on Sunday morning that he would go to Akihabara to kill. He even mentioned that he would crash people with his car and then stab them. After his arrest, he said it as a matter-of-fact that he was ‘tired of the world’ and ‘anyone was OK’ to kill. 7 people were killed, and 10 were injured as this man tried to find something worthwhile to do with his life.

I know Japan is a safe country and all, but if a small city like Beppu can have police cars patrolling around the city every 30mins, I fail to understand why there were only 2 police officers at Akihabara, which is a highly crowded place esp. over the weekends.

So, a psycho Japanese guy can go around write crazy posts on websites saying that he is going to kill people cuz he is frustrated with life, and it goes unnoticed. Had it been a foreigner, he would have been put behind bars and sent back to his country for disturbing this peaceful country.

My main motive is NOT to start with how foreigners are discriminated in Japan, but to bring out the few issues that have been
bothering me.
1. For some grave reason there are too many stressed out and frustrated-with-life souls living in Japan. Recently I read that there are websites/blogs and even clubs where people can let out their frustrations by writing about how they would kill someone or commit suicide. Luckily these are all there in Japanese, so if you don’t understand or know the language that well, your mind is saved.

2. An amusing hobby of the police in Tokyo has been to ask foreigners for their ID cards and proof that they are ‘legal’ to stay in the country. I’ve been asked to do so at least 3times in my 2months in Tokyo !!! However I would consider myself luck in comparison to "a few chosen one" who went through a much worse situation, cuz he had accidently walked 10 steps from home leaving his card in the wallet. ike hullo.. will I kill someone? Do we look like terrorists?

3. Plus, there was a heated discussion at work today whether this man could have been caught by the officer before causing all the chaos had the officer choked up and taken out his gun a few minutes instead of playing macho with his poking-rod. Or was it ‘fate’ that no matter what the measures had been taken, one could not save the victims.
I think its easier to accept the situation by saying its fate, but yea, those people could have been saved if there was more security and awareness.

Im tired, and I need to sleep.
God bless those who gave up their lives, and God help those who got out to take the lives of others.
Be safe and keep it real.
LOve and big hugs to everyone!

Spiders, not as good as Mr.Spidey

2007-08-02T11:33:00.003+09:00

The itsy bitsy spider, crawled up the water spout,
Down came the rain, and washed the spider out
Out came the sun, and dried up all the rain
And the itsy bitsy spider, crawled up the spout again.

theres smth about spiders that freaks the living begeeses out of me.
i have a common dislike for all creatures crawly, slithering, slimy, posessing-tenticles like snakes, lizards, roaches, grasshoppers, crickets, octopus, crabs and the kin. no matter what you call them or how sweet the name may sound (like cockroaches are called gokiburi-chan in japanese!) i mean, WHATS IN A NAME!!! it still crawls and makes you climb up that chair/bed/ or the highest place from ground where its crawling!!
but spiders - shiverrrrsss & my teeth clatter.. brrrrrrr ($%^#*^) there is NO OTHER insect or slithery thing that can make me 'feel' yucky for as long as i can if, like today, i came in contact with a spider!
i know i know.. there are much terrifying things oon earth, but who cares.. even though i killed by spraying insect-repellant on it from a 3feet distance, picked it up by a looooong stick and threw it down my balcony, i can still feel all scratchy and i keep dusting/ brushing/ scratching myself as if i am surrounded by thousands of them in a locked room (T-T)
i mean, arachnophobia is all fine. but im going nuts here!
WHAT IF it crawls its way back up like the Itsy-Bitsy spider and comes for revenge. WHAT IF it attacks me when im getting out of the building. WHAT IF it informed all the spiders in the surrounding area of its death right before it died - in a wavelenght deaf to humans, and told them of being sprayed and thrown off a balcony.. AND WHAT IF they're coming to avenge him.. buhuhuhuhhuhuhuhu.. im DOOOOOOMED!!

Summer Solstice 夏至

2007-06-14T17:45:00.002+09:00

The event of Candle Night began on June 22, 2003 as a volnteer event organized by many Japanese environmental NGOs. With its lil-too-cheezy-slogan of "Turn off your lights, and take it slow," calls for a two hours of complete 'lights out' and spent in the serene atmosphere of candlelights.

Many groups such as the Ministry of the Environment of Japan, businesses, governments & public facilities as well as artists in a variety of fields across Japan have shown their support for this event.

The website www.candle-night.org even gives you "quidelines" on how to enjoy two hours in a candle lit environment. From DVDs and CDs sets to play on the event, to the kind of music you should listen (punk rock, jazz, electronic), the sort of activities you can do: read a book, have a quiet dinner, games you can play such as hide-n-seek, even take a bath, have a party, or sleep!!
The event is organized in almost all over Japan, with CandleNight special talkshows over the radio in Tokyo, and candle-lit temple visits in Kyoto.

This year's 'Candle Night Summer Solstice' will be held from June 22 to 24, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
No matter where you are and how busy your work might be, take out 2hrs on either of these 3days and be relaxed.

EARTHQUAKE shakes Beppu, Oita

2007-06-07T12:14:00.003+09:00

so basically we came home after watchng "pirates: AT WORLDS END" and we had the biggest earthquake (in my experience).

the building shook with small tremors at first and we thought it was the wind, cuz the apartments are made from wood and it usually shakes from slightest winds.

but then it came again, and this time for a good 40seconds!
i remember rajat screaming at the top of his lungs to get out of home. i tried to unlock the main door with trembling hands and him screaming, and managed to twist my right foot. i was shaking badly the whole way as we ran down from the 6th freaking floor.

there were more students that met us on the street. with the japanese families who live in our building driving off with packed bags and calm expressions.. i couldnt understnd what made them remain soo bloody pacified in life. after about 15mins of waiting, we walked all the way back up the 6floors, and came home. i packed a bag with some chocolate bars, our wallets, Id cards and some medicines. we could hear cars moving around the neighbourhood, and bikes zooming across as well with ppl looking fr open spaces. while i admired the shampoo, soap, conditioner bottles fallen in the bathtub wondering 'that quake shook us, eh" and filled a bottle of water to be kept in my emergency bagpack, it came again!

i looked at my face in the mirror and it was swaying. this time as we ran down again i felt a lil better cuz we were ready for whatever happened next (and mostly cuz we were wearing shoes unlike the first time). we sat on the roads for another 20mins, and whenever we got ready to go back in, we felt another tremor and decided on the contrary. and THIS happened atleast 7times. by the end of it ppl had collected in a huge games feild near our home, and everyone was out of out our building.

when we came home finally, we kept 'feeling' tremors in our heads. shibi, prashmu and megu came over. petrified as we all were, we stayd up till late feeling the quakes in our heads. finally at 2am, we called it a day and crashed at our place. 6ppl in 2rooms.. and we already felt safe knwing tht all those who matter the most were right there with us, leaving no scope of uncertainity of the whereabouts of the others.

throught the night the tremors kept coming and ish n me were up everytime the earth trembled. we kept 'refreshing' the japanese website to check out the magnitude of the EQs that cme. the probabilities showed 80% to the predictions for the EQ that we kept tonight. they ranged only from 3 ~ 4.8 and we were shitting in our pants. now comes the scary bit...
there are predictions for the NEXT one - with my city, Oita, as the epicentre again!! - for 28th June, with a 100% probability is a 5.8 !!

wonder how we re going to survive that eh!

the K-O

2007-05-06T13:51:00.002+09:00

friday night fever was on. we had a yummy dinner after which shibi and i went to our fav 'speak easy' & then infront of tokiwa where we shared a few 'chu-hi's. after being in our 'happy' state for sometime, we walked towards pastel & world sports bar where we met ankur strolling outside, and then followed him inside to the white-chambers of pastel.

shibika being the smart one didnt have any other drink/shot, while i got extremely enthusiatic about having a KO - a true 'knock-out' - with 96%alcohol rasberry vodka, gin, and cranberry juice. when i got the glass, the only thing i could notice was the smooth googley glass infront of me. with every sip, something snapped in my head, and even though i was aware of the fact that i would be going crazy VERY soon, i kept on having the devil's drink. no kidding, it was one of the yummmmiest drink ive had so far!

then smth struck, the strings went loose and i was on a highway to dumptown. as im still in no position to recall the events of that night, i was told the next day that i had gone insane! i was having a very majimena conversation with the professor who took my interview for a TA - and in no time, i was screaming at him abt women-rights and empowerment (i can just remember his scorn expression at me like he could kill me - trust me he COULD) which followed with the screams being transfered at Masa, who was behind the bar that evening, about india being more culturally diverse & rich in comparison to any part of the world, esp. china! after which my waterballoon burst and i was howling like an irritating kid like the world was going to end tomorrow. and before being dragged out of the place, i insisted on paying for isha's drinks as well and threw a 5000bill on the counter (umm... isha wasn't even there that night!)
if it wasnt for rajat & shibika, i would have been left lying on the street smwhere. they put me in a cab, heard me screaming "stupid boys" like a zillion times followed by my skrieks to pay for isha & myself !again! for the cab-ride, somehow got me home where they saw me throw up and passout in the toilet.

i was my WORST-est behavior and if it wasnt for them, i dont knw what i would have done.. i can get very pissing off and irritating - something i HATE abt getting drunk.. but they stood by me and were there. it means a LOT that they went through this trouble of bearing with my nuisance again, and so i want to promise myself and you all, of never getting unconsciously drunk EVER in my life again, and esp decline any offers of having a 96%
thank you for always being there for me.
love you all.

wednesday

2007-04-25T17:15:00.002+09:00

my favorite mid-week day when i have nothing to do.
i sat in bed the entire morning slurping chinese ramen, reading blogs of artists, trying to learn this chinese song i heard a couple of days back, and watching re-runs of 300(have fallen HARD for the graphics of this film) and Curse of the Golden Flower (hmm.. beautiful sets & clothes that can be seen from 2continents away).
as for my fellowsufferes, they are busier than me with more worthwhile tasks like giving bloodtests on the hilltop (aka. APU), feeling relieved/relaxed after cleaning their kitchens, teaching English to a group Japanese kids.. which reminds me i better be getting ready for my english conversations lesson with a student in 30mins.
until we meet again!

kai wo toru

2007-04-15T17:35:00.003+09:00

we left midday for the banks of the waterfront in Hiji city. the goal was to get a bucket full of shell-fish.

after a brief lunch of ham-sandos (sandwiches) we strenuosly scanned the rocks on the banks of the incoming-sea to accompanish our goal. every now and then we had little crabs running out from under the stones that we moved to see if we found more shells for my japanese parents, and their friends, to eat! to our surprise, Otousan found 2 octopuses - surely a BIG treat, cuz we werent expecting to find anything more than shells.

later, we left for the Jumonji-hilltop (close to the four towers behind APU). while some of us went to pluck take (bamboos) from the forest, two-others sat and basked in the sun besides a japanese graveyard.

on returning to our base-camp, Okaasan and us kids went to an old-old onsen.. you know, one of those 'tokubestsu na tokoro'. neways, after trying for 20mins to hike ourslves into the water, we figured that it was JUST TOO HOT - like 40degs £@^*!$% - so we extended one of the cold water pipes to make the ofuro a lil lukewarm so that we could sit in it atleast. just as we had started to enjoy ourselves 2 obaasans (grandmoms) scolded us for spoiling the kimochi (feeling) of the ofuro by making the water cold, cuz they had cme there yesterday, and it was much hotter and better then!!

heneways, so we got home feeling dizzy with ecstacy, and were welcomed with onsen-tamago (steamed eggs) - which were yummm - being from the chickens that were kept at the entrance of the farmhouse!!

and now i sit on my dining table, making this blog entry and i think to myself.. this is the "wierdest" post i have ever made!!!

Peugeot

2007-04-10T15:03:00.003+09:00

花見（桜）Cherry Blossom Seeing

2007-04-03T23:03:00.011+09:00

毎年のように今年も４月１日に花見をした。今回はバルベキューではなく、色々な国の１５人学生と私たちのホストファミリーと一緒に山鹿市（熊本県）に行った。曇っても、雨が降っても、私たちはスライダーで遊んでパデルボートを乗って、すごい楽しみにた。

ノート：

２００７年の桜祭りは、米国のワシングタンディーシーで「ジェフレソンメモリアル」にある３０００本の桜木の９５周年です。１９１２年に東京の人たちから差し上げたこの桜の木は、ピンクと白色の波で、人生とお祝いの象徴です。

Like every April, we went for the 'hanami' on the 1st of the month.. only this time there wasnt a bbq, instead a big bunch of kids with my Jap mum dad!!

We left for Yamaga, a lil town in the midst of nowhere between Hiji and Beppu. Even though the day wasn't as sunny and bright, we had the greatest time riding sliders and going for paddle-boat rides in the rain.

Did You Know:
The 2007 National Cherry Blossom Festival marks the 95th celebration of the original gift of the 3,000 cherry trees from the city of Tokyo to the people of Washington, DC in 1912. The trees signal the coming of Spring with an explosion of life and color surrounding the Jefferson Memorial on the Tidal Basin in a sea of pink and white.

yon sama

2007-03-10T00:44:00.001+09:00

from the mindboggling session about verbs/adverbs/adjectives/nouns/articles blah blah blah.. my english conversations lesson moved to a better (and more intense topic) of whether "Yon sama" of fuyu no sonata was hot or not!

the mom said yes and sighed over the calmness in the brown eyes that were hidden behind the specs, while the daughter (like me) agreed on how we cudnt even find one thing that was "sigh-able" - if that beest a word - in that guy!

aahh pleeeze.. you be the judge!!!

2007-02-24T13:17:00.001+09:00

Aint he the cutest lil monkey !?!

p.s. from "Shelly Scraps: Musings of a British illustrator in Japan"

Love Story = Sob Story

2007-02-18T03:03:00.001+09:00

Can a movie be so good that it makes you sob/cry/weep/sigh- call it whatever name you wish - for more then 30 mins!!!
Erich Segal's Love Story clearly has this effect on its audience. I read the book when in high-school. But today, after seeing the movie, all the long-gone feelings came flying into my heart and head making me very very very heavy!!

sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob

Global Warmed Sunshines

2007-02-16T15:42:00.002+09:00

after a tiring long week of 6 hrs of continuos talks on Globalization, I'm finally at the beginning of my winter vacations. even though i had to wake up everyday at 7 am and sleep late at night 'cuz of the presentations, i would say spending these 5 days in the politically charged class has been the BEST, from the numerous classes i've "marked my attendance" for, in my years at APU.
so now that my vacations are finally here.. i don't want to spend the first weekend sitting at home (as you must've already read in the previous post). i came up with a list of things i could do. however, as always, am a lil confused as what i should do.. so i'd highly appreciate if anyone could come up with suggestions. here's the list:

1. go to kyoto/kobe - chill out & go crazy taking pictures of temples & shrines.
2. get a tattoo
3. go shop (boots & bags)
4. take the 20,000 ticket and spend the weekend in tokyo - even though i'd probably go over the week after next.

apart from paying attention to the usual whirlpools in my mind, i've come to notice that the weather's been a lil weird this year. scary to think how the world temperature - or at least Beppu's - has changed so much so quick! last february, the city was covered under a few feet of snow, unlike this year's brown/dry/waiting-for-snow mountains.
with canada having experienced -30degs of temp, an average of 10 in japan, and indianHOTwinter.. i don't know what we are moving towards - but its going to be a helluva scary piece of (... umm...) something!! i saw the movie on global warming by Al Gore. accepted and heard all that he had to say. listened to the critics about him hyping up the whole "warming up" issue, but i think if we don't do anything NOW, we will see ourselves being underwater soon!!

heneways.. its our world as much as it is a world of the people who are destroying it, and hopefully things will change soon (for the better)!!

will scrap more later.. im going to have some beauty sleep before the long weekend.

buckets full of snow for those who haven't had any this year :)

world hold on

2007-02-15T21:19:00.001+09:00

the beats are awesome, the videos great, the lil boy's the cutest, the sequence dance is fabulous, and the doggy is a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e!!

play it while reading the post below
(adds a lil flavour to it!)

session blues

2007-02-15T20:53:00.002+09:00

splat! splat! splat! and it started to rain like crazy on the 14th morning as i woke up.

there was nothing special abt the day, as i'd always thought of it to be :(

pretty casual.. and i managed to get a lot of work done.. hehe
covered-up for the winter session classes that am taking these vacations, after which i went to teach english to two japanese ladies. one of their daughter's made me "cashewchocos" which were YUMMMMMM as heaven (on the other hand, the woman whom i teach, gave me 2japaaneeezu apples!!!!) and i went on to teach the other lady - kimiko.. who, as the dear ol' helpful japanese that she is, introduced me to another friend of hers who's looking for an english teacher!!
a long dinner at our favourite Kuuta-ramen followed the english lessons and meeting with my new student. it was ashmas birthday, and was a lil funny wishing her happy valentines (and birth) day in the same breath.
all in all, the day was fruitful and i got tons of HAPPY n GOOD news.. it will be told to ya all in a couple of days.. justo waito a momento!!!!!

with everyone doing somethin fun away from sad beppu.. ive been having dreams if running over to somewhere during the weekend. aditis going skiing on sunday (swear, if she din, i would have visited her in Mie-ken!) rajat and ankur are having a good time in tokyo with dave. home being home, isha's having a helluva blast too.

as for me... hmm.. ppl have promised to mail me list of parties and events for the weekend, but lets see what happens.
this post has been like writing a (s)crappy journal entry.. will write more later, cuz i have to read 282pgs of World Politics for tmr's exam!!

upcoming post... love n bright-global-warmed sunshines

My name is ~

2007-02-06T21:02:00.001+09:00

this is in response to "Chloe Fitzgerald"s email dated Monday, February 05, 2007; Posted at 11:21 AM

Your Irish Name Is...

Alannah O'Mahony

What's your Irish Name?

miss you all tons!!
p.s. look out for the upcoming grad ceremony entry!

little miss sunshine

2007-01-29T19:54:00.001+09:00

"It may be clunky, it may not always run right, but everyone will be OK so long as we all get together and push."

by far the most (well, 'one' of the most) funny-touching-real movies ive seen.

its about a family taking a cross-coutry trip to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant. the 2days trip turns into a journey.. making them realize that the distance they travel between themselves is more than the one they covered on the road.

with a grandpa who dopes, a mom who smokes, a motivational speaker as a dad, an uncle who tried to kill himself for a "looooong reason", and two lovely kids (wont tell you their special traits!) i wouldnt say the family resembles mine or anyone else's, but the mere fact that they have their differences like any of us, and yet able to stay together and overcome problems is what touches the hearrrrt!!

hope you like it as much as i did
love n 'sunshines' as always :P

around the world

2007-01-28T00:12:00.000+09:00

reports and cars

2007-01-12T23:32:00.001+09:00

i have two lousy reports, along with the major end-of-semester japanese report due on the same day. when you are under work-pressure, lousy thoughts start to pop up in your head, making you tensed for no rhyme or reason. things of no importance start making episodes in the mind n getting you worked up.

so, while i was cribbing and getting pissed about things around me, i got an email informing me about a car accident that one of my friend's been in.

the boy driving the car died on the spot, while the other 2kids along with my friend had multiple fractures & were in crital conditions. she is now thankfully off the critical list - but it will be a long long recovery, with many corrective surgeries along the way. her skull was fractured and her face badly damaged. but she's alive, all there and fighting to get well - so it will be okay.

reading all this made me feel extremely small. it made me realize that there are bigger and serious challenges that poeple have to face. our own petty mind-games mean nothing when one hears abt someone facing and going through so much. the lil differences that we have among ourselves should mean little, & be resolved soon. life is too short n uncertain to worry about stupid things. i can only feel grateful for evryone and evth i have.

for those of you who go out on drives, dont do it too FAST - just keep check on the accelarator and be safe okay!
you are all too precious to lose.
love and big hugs.

new yr greetings n moo

2007-01-10T12:59:00.000+09:00

!! happeee nuuu eeeer !!

ten days already gone by, i have a good feeling about this year.. not to mention it is the last one of my beloved university life, things might go abit crazy with thesis & job-hunting. but nevermind.. it will all come and go for the best! :)

the beginning of the year was nothing i had expected it to be.

at first we couldnt come up with a "plan" cuz it was freezing outside (compared it now its nothing but whatever), and we were quite reluctant on going to a club - you know, been there done that last year sorta thing. so we hit off the night with a big big 'last supper' as a farewel to 2006.. pasta and wine. having a lil too much fun there, we forgot to keep a check on the time, until someone said it was 8mins to midnight when we got out. we ran down the restaurant, along the road then down again into the subway only to emerge from it at 'sharp' 12:00 to see the fireworks explode infront of us!!

we wished each other and then stood staring at the "rappers" who were performing on a lil wooden stage with about 100people dancing to their tune, surrounded by stalls of food and sochu (jap alcohol - drunk HOT in winter). with the smell of fried chicken and beer, we walked off to the street performance of wadaiko, then to the numerous clubs that we have in that area - roots, zima, sports bar - they were all dim with drunk japanese/APU students welcoming us. so we decided on taking home - cards & drinks - and playing poker!!

our first walk home from the 'happening' side was a comical one with ankur doing copies of the Wagah border march (the borderline btween india and pakistan). with shrieks of laughter we entered our neighbourhood and rajat's apt (which we managed to trash superbly). we played poker all night, along with the 'HIT ME' game (dunno know what you call it) with nihal being the dealer. we had a bottle of an expensive-yummy-peach-french-wine, of which ppl kept trying to get a hold of all the time, and sme other drinks. after laughs on winning and losing ms.kim started to show us the korean way of playing poker. the rules of this none of us drunkards could comprehend, so we concluded on the fact that it was a truly lousy game :) (oopsie.. no offenses)!!

later the babes started to topple on the sack one after the other, while the dudes started their fierce discussion on their beloved 'apples & windows', with reference to the fountain(head) as well. later on they watched the first sunrise of the year and grabbed a bite of the (much abhorred now) Mac!

the following day, while the rest of the us went for an elaborate trip to scary-wet-cold Yufuin, i stayed at home sleeping n having fun, so much so that i got a homedelivery of chicken tikka masala for dinner!)

with such a good start to the new year, i wish you all a great many incidents/accidents of happiness with outcomes that are truly IN YOUR favour :P may the lord be kind and you have tons of great things knock on your doors.

keep in touch & us informed abt all that goes around thru blogging (if not mailing n chatting).

much love n happiness for the year to come..
until we meet again!!

noooooooooooo not again

2006-12-19T12:48:00.001+09:00

pissed pissed pissed is what i am right now, on ME more than anything/one else.

so, i set the alarms at night, like a zillion of them, and think that im all set to wake up for my one-and-only class 'japanese' and guess what - I DO NOT hear the alarm when it goes off in the morning!

the goood look from Mizukuchi sensei yesterday on the fact that i should be careful abt attending my japanese classes was traumatizing enough for a long time, and here i was staring at my bloody phone at 9.35 when the class started off at 8.45.
pissed as i am at my warm bed in this winter weather, there is nothing i can do about it today except feel bad and come to school to tell him the truth.

but its difficult to wake up at 7am (wonder what am gonna do when i have to wake up for wrk at 5am or smth.. sheeeeeeeeet)and with no one else around at home, except shibika who's sleeping like a log in the other room (counting on me to wake her up) things just didnt seem to go right :P

neways..
to top things i hear the freaking pigeons on my balcony again. but this is their LAST day cuz theres gonna be something frm tmr onwards thats gonna stop them from comming.. muhahahaha.. will talk abt that later.

gotta go right now.
much love :)

ku-raa-zeeee

2006-12-12T15:47:00.001+09:00

sitting at home all charged up. ive been staring at the comp's screen fr a couple of hours now desparetly trying to find anime schools that i can apply to. its crazy with the number of them that have come up in the last couple of years. and with the amount of people applying to them, phew! God help me :(

its a 6mnths/a-year-long-ongoing-scary-phase deciding what to pursue at the beginning of your career - or for the rest of your life for some. i've had the opportunity to witness so many people get jittery abt interviews/ resumes/ deadlines & wearing the 'black' suit (well not so much.. ha-ha!) that i dont believe its time for me to start it too!!

once again i see familiar faces making trips to the career office to fill out company seminar forms for placements. i mark one or two myself. i have no clue why, or where its going to lead me and im scared as shit about the whole "job hunting" bizz. but what the hell, might as well give it a shot (on second thoughts, im not quite sure if this is what i want to do... hmm)

the net has made the world smaller in getting what we need, when we need, from any part of the globe we choose. but its ku-ra-zeee to see the numerous options we've infront of us! its tough enough going for interviews, leave alone finding places on your own to apply to. i marvel at the dedication of those who pursue this.

neways.. break times over and i gotta get back to checking out some more anime school websites.

i only hope i have an open eye (& mind) not to let go of any opportunity that comes my way, and make the most of whatever lil time i have!

to a crazy 就職 (to those 'been there-done that' & to the ones starting the crazy ride)

pain kill(er)s

2006-12-08T11:04:00.001+09:00

I’ve been on pain killers for over 3days now. A couple of days back I managed to get a bruise and a cut on my left-index finger (the source of which is yet to be found!) The damn finger was all pink like a flamingo’s head until yesterday, but from today morning it started turning blue with the band-aid that’s been tied by the univ nurse. Lil thing still throbs with every moment of my left hand, so much so that the entire arm’s starting to hurt now *sob*sob*

Since the univ’s hospital doesn’t seem to satisfy the intensifying pain, I’m more than WILLING & HAPPY to announce that I will consider any advice on what to do/ or what I could do to make it better from anyone whose been through this.

However, please SKIP OVER the idea of “making an incision” cuz that’s smth that totally FREAKS ME OUT, and I’m NOT going to do it!!

Thanks in a million fingers.. oops.. figures!

Welsh Corgi

2006-12-06T02:30:00.001+09:00

this is the cutest 2min video you will EVER watch.

thinking from the POV of the lil Welsch, it must be hard for dogs to live in a cage like that. mainly cuz you can understand evth that the other dogs are barking abt, but cant tell any humans abt it cuz they dont speak your language!

smts i wonder why there wasnt ONE language everyone/thing could speak. can you imagine ever explaining the rising global tempratures to polar bears.. haha.. what a wonderful world would that be!?!

btw, just dote over the way he starts to nap!!

year's end and Zima

2006-12-05T13:51:00.001+09:00

i hadnt paid a visit to Zima since after the graduation party we had in september.
this weekend, after a yummy satisfying meal of tacos and beer we decided not to go home and hit a club for a lil bit. we went to roots, pastel, world sports bar and a dropped a peek at a couple of others on the way, only to find them all empty because there was a dance event in Zima and another one at a club in oita.

neways.. on getting to zima, we met an 'old friend' sitting on the stairs, who got our tickets reduced by a lil - i think.
there i was, standing inside, feeling all nostalgic when i got a 'hisasheeebureee ne' from ____san (forgot her name again!)

its was 60degrees inside and the place was packed with japanese ppl sittin all over the floor. we were just in time for the 2nd round of dances. the performances alternated from 2groups of guys and girls doing their dances. the girls did the j-lo/beyonce moves. the boys on the other hand, did a combination of hip-hop and the 80s break-dance. there was this fatty dancer who shocked everyone from jumping all over the stage and doing the wildest of steps.

after the competition was over, everyone hopped on to the floor. dancers were staring at themselves in the mirror while they jazzed up the floor, so we decided to do the same. after copying them for a long long time and making everyone else run far away from us, i went back to the counter to have a lil talk with ___san. she totally surprised me by giving a free drink :) and i came back smiling ear to ear, and started to shake my booty on the dance floor again.

later at night we sat at there, occasionally going to the floor and taking breaks to see the others. lolz. 'someone' changed his clothes like a million times and kept going up and down around us. in the end, isha and i got free shiny-light hand bands from him.. aint that sweet!!

neways, i came back home smiling and feeling good about starting off with the partying season. its birthday time soon, i am going to miss ol' friends who're in far-away lands. after that there's no stoppign with x-mas and finally new years! yipee.. im going to hold on to the horses (or reindeers) and enjoy the year's end making the most of whatever comes my way!

TalkTalk

2006-11-17T16:12:00.003+09:00

check out the lil details..
(cant do much about the dude's voice in the background..
kinda spoils the whole video.. but its a commercial!)

amazingly co-ordinated huh!!!

another day in paradise

2006-11-13T17:02:00.001+09:00

I got no idea why this happens, but its been prevalent for almost all my winter semesters here in Japan.

It in this particular time of the year, when nightfall seems to happen at 5pm, one starts to get bugged with the whole “go to school-work-come home-eat-sleep” routine.

For no reason, things that appear to go well seem to go out of their way. Out of the blue, there's a WHAM-n-a-BAM and then a spiral tunnel that takes you low into this abyss of unknown anxiety.

The mind goes round and round getting you worried for nothing, or simply makes you think about what you're going to do in the future (which gets everyone worked up without a doubt!!)

and I wonder:
Does it happen in other parts of the world, or is it just an APU phenomenon??

i hate it i hate it i hate it

2006-11-01T14:24:00.001+09:00

It's the end of autumn and a glimpse of winter right now. and its always in these first few crucial weeks of the *not-too-warm not-that-cold* confusing weather that i get pissed about this stupid country. so this year ive decided to put an end to getting bugged and let it out loud.

WINTER back in India and in JaPan are poles apart yet some days are similar enough to make one nostalgic about home sweet home. heres an insight on the lil differences that i could come up with. incase you got more, feel free to add them on.

firstly...
at home we have foggy mornings and nights BUT HERE a couple of foggy days and for the rest you practically live in clouds.
secondly...
indian wind is warm and drouzy with dust toppings BUT HERE winds only blow with one objective - to freeze your bone marrow.
thirdly...
home's winter sun makes you want to *plop* down in your bed with a hot chocolate mug BUT HERE the miGHty wind takes all the glamor and attention of the sun away.
fourthly...
we get all the yummy goodies which makes us experts in laziness BUT HERE you're hungry?? get out of bed and make yourself smth to eat $&(%$@)&^
last but not za least (and by far the touchiest topic for me)...
mornings dawn with faint sparrows chirping in the garden/courtyard to tell you winters here BUT HERE burping pigeon sounds next to your bed (a glass door away) say, "wake up you lazy bum!"

poop in the bag

2006-10-27T17:30:00.001+09:00

i saw the yuckiest thing today.

i was on my way back from school when i saw a japanese lady on her daily walk with her dog at its pooping-time.

but this was different than the usual expeditions we witness around the globe.
as soon as he (or she) took the dump, i saw the lady sweep down and almost like the flash of lightening... the poop was gone!!! when i came back to my senses, i realized that the lady had skillfully taken it in her custody in a white poly-bag. after her swoosh-n-swish she casually twisted the bag shut tight, and walked away with her dog!

i was under shock and disgust. but moments later, i was in awe of the Japanese awareness and determination to keep their roads/society cleanl!!

*big applause to the lil shorties*

busted in red canal

2006-10-26T16:58:00.001+09:00

have you ever 'smuggled' people in a japanese hotel room and gotten caught AS SOON AS you shut the door by a voice on the phone??
letme tell you, these lil yellow skin and bones (aka. japs) have a certain way of finding things out. well well well hold onto your imaginations. letme tell you from the very beginning...

far far away in the land of the rising sun, my summer break was coming to an end as i bid farewel to september. end of holidays is always a depressing time of the year, so i decided to go for a short trip in its last week. i'd 3people joining me all the way from india and korea (the koreans arrived a day later).

the main reason for this entire expedition was that we were to go to the Apple store and get mac-books for two of the fellows. we spent the entire day be-u-tifully window shopping, sight-seeing, running in-and-out of the apple store atleast 5-6times (each time for a different reason). we spent the night in the red-light area which is perfectly located on the banks of a shallow canal (thus giving the place its name 'canal city').

as nightfall came, we started looking around for places to stay. one of the options was to take shelter in the internet-cafe. one would imagine how we can stay there the entire night. but japanese internet-cafes are far different from any part of the world (or atleast india). they have soothing foot sauna areas, hot showers, video games, big and small screen entertainment, food and snacks, big sofas, and least to say...'internet'!
but spending the entire night without a bed was smth we couldnt get our minds set to. after a session of ruthlessly shooting people (!videogames!) we saw ourselves nodding our heads in consent to a hotel where we were going to get ourselves a posh double-suite. the plan was to sneak in : two at a time.

from the previous night's experience at the hotel, we knew that the glass at the counter was coloured in such a way that neither the person infront of, or behind the counter could see each other (in short, the glass was opaque). there was just teeny 5inch space to slide money in/out for the stay and pass the room keys.

the koreans and me were of the same shape n size, so we were sure that the lady at the counter was bound to have no problem in making a mistake between us (moreover, she hardly sat at the counter). the journey up the elevater couldnt be more perfect. little did we know there was a camera right above the door to our room. as soon as we locked the latch, the phone rang! a polite voice at the other end asked how long the other two visitors going to leave the room in cuz they werent meant to be there! so this is how it feels to be caught red handed, i thought.

after everyone quickly walked out of the hotel, i went upto the counter to return the room keys. and for the first time i was glad to have been welcomed by the opaque glass at the counter.

apple

2006-10-26T16:41:00.001+09:00

Apple, apple, 1 - 2 - 3,
Apple for you, apple for me.
Apple's for big, apple's for small,
Apple stores tiny, Apple stores tall.
Apples were sour, apples were sweet,
But now theres an Apple with everyone you meet!
Apple in iPods, iTunes and Quicktime,
Holy crap! When do I get mine!
(!crunch!)

graduation and gang

2006-09-21T15:50:00.001+09:00

Graduation is a custom one aught to get used to while at APU mainly cuz it takes place twice every year!!
But somehow, with every batch leaving for their 'better' places, I see myself getting more and more attached to the ones left behind - so much so that saying the goodbyes hit you harder than even your bad grades.
Every one of the crazy girls i knew has left for the place she’s to go to, with the exception of one who is staying with me till the end of the month till her job starts.
My homes in a mess.. mainly cuz we’ve been living like princesses and are always on the move. Our nocturnal instincts have matured to a great extent, with at least one of us keeping awake till the sun rises cuz she’s rattling her brains with the virtual world.
We’ve been pleasuring ourselves with some extraordinary meals – which surprisingly have increased the frequency of our hungry appetites. Each night we sleep with a heavy heart, and promise each other to wake up the following morning to do some 'yoga'… which, as you all are aware of is the only method one can lose weight by merely breathing!! However, the month has passed but that delightful day is yet to dawn.

somethings over the summer

2006-09-17T20:03:00.001+09:00

I am alarmed shocked, horror-struck, appalled – call if whatever you want - I have awfully small feet!
I went to buy a pair of shoes a couple of days back and guess what, even the S-size of ‘japanese’ women (I mean, that is reallllyyy tiny) is BIG for me. There is enough room in the shoe to shove an entire finger. I mean, what’s the deal with that!!!

heneways,

With the innumerable rumors about a biiiiig typhoon blowing around us and seeing no sign of it in the air had gotten us all disheartened. But then one that struck finally was so massively-magnificent that it shook us for days. There were things flying every where, sign boards of shops came tumbling down, trees were left a branched, and the sea – even though the beach was a lil messy - was happy with high tides for days!

Now the last couple of days left for classes to start again with the lecture-fever. This time I feel pretty old on seeing the new kids on-the-block all excited. I think about the good old AP House days -which is now being constructed into a congested maze with the new buildings - and feel nostalgic *sigh*

However, I should say that the enthusiasm which the new batch gets to those living-up-the-mountain is extremely infectious, and we all see ourselves eating in the shyokudo, having fun, going for Sugar, and making the same conversations about our 'multiculturalism' yet again!

Hope - The Reason to live (06:40am)

2006-09-09T05:51:00.002+09:00

6am. All is misty outside my windown. Not a soul on the streets even though its early September and not that cold. Buildings in the nearby areas arent in view cuz of the pouring rain that makes the huge hills behind the town invisible.

With 'Somethings in the Air' by Thunderclap Newman playing in my mind, a thin copy of The Alchemist, and a mug of coffee i feel there's nothing more i could ask for.

Yet there is something that misses or perhaps starts to take a form in its real colours as I now close my eyes to the real world and awake to a dreamland of paints and canvases.

A boy smiles at me. His heart is pure and innocence, free of all the miseries of the world. He waits to get out there to prove his worth, show that he's strong to take anything that comes his way. There is no doubt he will succeed in everything that he takes upon himself.

So I tell him to stay calm and relax, but he doesn't listen and moves forward. I take another one behind him and tell him to wait just a little bit more. But he goes faster than I can walk.

I wait for one last smile from before he goes white with the mist, and I wait...He will be back, I tell to myself, if not soon.

There is the power of hope that gives us the reason to live.

A Midsummer Night's Tale

2006-09-03T15:45:00.001+09:00

We got out of Beppu with our minds set for scuba-diving, unlikely to have a clue of what lay ahead of us for the two days to come…

White sand, palm trees, sunbathing n surfing, blue skies and crystal clear water – that’s the kind of beach we all expect to see and want to visit. But for unknown reasons, the beach that we went to in Saiki - a lil town out in the wilderness on the state borders of Oita and Miyazaki - had black sand, clear green water and perfect blue skies.

On reaching Saiki@4in the afternoon we realized our chances of going for scuba were zilch. But our minds were set to go out in 'the wild', so we took a bus to the nearest beach - Kamae. Now, when you hear 'near' you think it would take you 15-20mins to get there. In our case, the bus drive took 45mins, taking us the farthest away from civilization.

At the black beach, we swam to the setting sun. Fisherman ankur showed off his skills by catching a one-fin fugu fish with a stick! At a shack in the corner of the beach we found a bunch of boats, oars and lifejackets, thus concluding on going dark-water-sailing around midnight.

As nightfall came, we enjoyed beer n yummy food in the resort's Beer Garden. Since we were already high *with adventure spirit* and had nothing to hold us back, we decided to spend the night jumping in and out of the premises of the resorts swimming pool side, occasionally swimming in the sea and coming back to the pool to wash away the black sand that stuck to us.
This carried on for awhile until two of us were noticed (quite audibly) by the security guards as a can of coke fell from the vending-machine to quench the thirst of a man. After that, it was bub-bye too the swimming pool and hello to the steps on the black beach.

The night was cold, dark and beautiful. We pushed one of the rowing boats to the shore and decided to go for a bit of a row. Since the boat was meant for two, the Mighties got out for their first encounter with the sea. They came back concluding that we couldn’t be out for a long time cuz there was a hole in the boat that kept filling in water. Nevertheless, we took as many as five trips!

Florescent green plankton shone every time the oars hit the water. With the dazzling sky above our head n glittering plankton surrounding us, you can imagine the kick we were getting in our minds. How much ever I hate to say this word, it suits the situation perfectly - it was all ‘mindblowing’! The boys went as far as where they were left at the mercy of the sea, which was quite alarming cuz the water was almost half way up the boat!

Tired from all the rowing and fighting against the darkwater, we put evth back in its place, and slept for a bit. The wind blew its coldest around 3am, when we were woken up with ankur n isha getting a bottle of wine from a parked caravan nearby. Its believed that the dude who owned it had left the door open as (so it seemed by the manner in which his bag was left at the door) he'd ran out after forgetting smth.

So we popped it again again, only to wake up with the morning sun on our faces, eagles soaring up above us and people around us doing their morning walks.

to be continued...

hochh pochh

2006-08-07T22:20:00.001+09:00

so... my worlds finally crashing down.

#1: today my mouth was on fire for like half an hour from the flame that was created by the chillie-garlic paste that i hiked into my pasta for 'spicing' it up just-a-lil'-more. after soaking my mouth for a long time with ice packs, now the flames have gone down to the lower region of my body, i.e. stomach! it seems to be on fire with absolutely no way to cool it down.

#2: the indian dish i was making for dinner got stuck to the damn pot n its lying in my sink now. its hard as rock - nothing is going to budge it from its place!

#3: so, my cooking days are finally coming to an end. i been noticing that most of my dishes have been going for a huge field trip since the past now. yesterday was classic. i mean, how hard is it to make simple macaroni. you boil it, add the paste and its done! but no no no... for some reason, all the macaroni conspired against the hot water and got stuck together! in the end, everything tasted like a red-tomato-based-big-flour-paste with piman and onions! (it wasnt as bad as it sounds though)

aarrgghh.. jst needed to let out some frustration from the burning stomach! god help me tomorrow morning.. im dreading it!!

bic runga

2006-07-29T04:48:00.001+09:00

maybe the whole summer bummer is into my head right now.. (cuz hell, its 4.47 in the morning)
dunno but this songs been haunting me ever since i heard it (a million times)
guess this will prbly get it out of my system then..

there's no cure, and no way to be sure
why everything's turned inside out
instilling so much doubt
my head is battling with my heart
my logic has been torn apart
it doesnt seem right to let you know all the things you mean to me
i should be much too smart for this
you know it gets the better of me
say you'll stay, don't come and go... like you do

sometimes songs can jst get enough on to you, eh!!
love you all so much
muuaaahh

song in my head

2006-07-27T13:40:00.001+09:00

Hangin' out
Down the street
The same old thing
We did last week
Not a thing to do
But talk (??) to you

Steal the car
And bring it down
Pick me up
We'll drive around... (dum dee dum)
Wish we had
A joint so bad
Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah

Hangin out
Down the street
The same old thing
We did last week
Not a thing to do
But talk (really??) to you
woo woo yeah!

(!teo teo teo teoo dhooooshhh!)

summer bummer

2006-07-17T15:21:00.000+09:00

There is an insane amount of work that is to be done in a weeks time. Deadlines have to be met, and exams have to be studied for.

With all this work pressure, I see myself getting more and more relaxed and dreaming (cuz I’ve been sleeping too much) about what I am going to do during my summer break. Places I could go to, things I could do. Ideas I’ve never had are coming to my mind. When you have the tiniest bit of time to climb a mountain of work, why do 'then' the best thoughts, dreams and desires pop up in your head?? There is no way you can keep a track of them, and they wont stop coming even if you meditate – … not that I’m doing that either!!

A LOT is happening. Four crazy girls I know – namely adz, sra, ass n cp - leave APU f.o.r.e.v.e.r for better places (and better people??) My parents are dying for me to come back home so that my mom can come to Beppu with me in Sept (*oh, no no no*) weird incidents (??accidents??) have been happening to me in the last couple of weeks (one of them being going to a beautiful beach out in the ‘wild’), and a few more that I don’t wish to mention for various reasons - all I hope is that I can be sane till it all ends... or the summer break begins??

Lil’ thoughts and fears about summer vacations coming up nw. It is true that with all the people I hang out with going home or starting with jobs and higher studies, I won’t really have anyone here to “hang out” with. What am I going to do here?? – will I just die of boredom and run home as august draws to an end, or will I survive it all and have a great time?? Will I just lie in bed and sit on the net and put out my hair in the heat, or actually do some work, make some money and go some place cool?? too many questions and damn, I need to study right now…

Anyways, summer is here, and its going to get even hotter. I am already twice as dark as I was, and I can see myself turning charcoal by the end of August.
Much love to ya all.

p.s. I think its just the ‘heat’ talking…

Fun’s a killer… and this is how I’m gonna die

2006-06-29T12:10:00.000+09:00

“So, you’re not going to school again today??” – I think, I really want to but… a switch in my mind goes off, I doze off again and rajat leaves for school.

Lately going to school has become a far fetched dream for me. With my sisters here, taking them around the city has been on top of my priority list (in fact the only thing on my list – if there is one!)
It’s been a whole week – probably more than that that I’ve been to campus. People have messaged me saying – you dead or alive, we haven’t seen you in a while.
Never in my millions of dreams had thought that I, of all the people, would be getting sick of not going to school. I mean, it’s been a fantasy to just party and have fun on sunny days instead of sitting inside a boring classroom. I mean, who doesnt want that?? But now I reckon I’m insane when I say I really miss going up the hilltop and seeing the familiar faces and doing the same old routine!
Studies and work one after the other with no breaks are a killer for some of the people I know. They work hard. Seeing them work makes me wanna do something worthwhile with my life. Find and learn something new on my own that makes me say – who's the shit!! I found out a completly new way to do smth so easily.
But I haven’t had a chance to do this in months now. I haven’t been going for work (which I’ve finally started to missL) no classes and sitting in the cool air with the buzzing sound of some prof’s voice in the background. Things I never thought have recently started to make me crave them more than ever.
I’m sick of waking up getting ready and having fun... it’s another routine. lolz. Ain’t that a funny thought now!
So this means no matter what we do our lives will be in routines all the time?? That’s something I never wanted.
What the hell… I’m getting ready and going out.

20plus someone

2006-06-23T15:47:00.000+09:00

daybefore we were having a conversation which made me realize i was sitting with three teenagers - my younger sisters and a friend - who are all in their teens!!
while they discussed how their lives were gonna change at 17 n 18, and shibika was freakin out abt this yr being the last of her teenage years, i thought to myself hello.. you're gonna be 22 this year!! and THAT totally freaked me out - not realizing im turning older as every day passes, not doing so much (which i am yet to figure out) cuz i am busy taking one day at a time and each moment as it passes (which is not a bad thing).. adding to all the trippin' feelings, i read sradha's blog which talks abt 'young love' which made me feel even older than before (i wont disclose much, you gotta read to know what im talking abt)...
but a lady gets the age she deserves (as put very truly by ms. coco chanel) so then i thought, what the hell - live life, love and hate people, get messy and party.. so what if im gonna be 22 this year, the rides only just begun and its going to be one helluva rollercoaster!!
and im happy now :)

dirty dancing n sakkaaa

2006-06-12T15:35:00.000+09:00

Its crazy how seeing people sing and dance can be addictive and make you want to shake your ass the whole day long. I’ve been on a dance-high ever since I saw dirty dancing and walk the line. With the songs as good as weird steps of Baby and flip-flop of heels of ms. witherspoon, I can see all of it actually effecting my lil mind... arrgghh...
neways... moving the groove from dance; match is on for tonight. beers and cute guys in shorts (thats becoming my pet line these days)... valdez, cole, owen, beckham.. hmm, its all a big high!!
i thought it would be difficult to follow, but the game's a sure treat and a lot like bb. plans to watch the last one in the world sports bar (and im told we gotta be there hrs before to actually find places to stand!!) lets see how that works out now..
alrighty then, until next time..
much love (^3^)

never drink if you gotta pick someone up

2006-06-10T18:36:00.000+09:00

at first i missed the 5.40 bus which gets me to the fukuoka airport right on time to receive my sisters at 9am. and when i reached the bus stop fr the next one at 6.30, i was told that it didnt go to the bloody airport! so i sat waiting infront of a closed starbucks for half hour - looking like a complete homeless person (credit goes to my hangover from continuous drinking fr two nights). finally the bus arrived and i slept through the journey like a kid.
at 9am i was woken up by a call from isha saying she got a call from the immigrations asking about our sisters coming over to japan to visit us. (time for a lil background - usually when a person catches a flight from fukuoka, you end up sleep throughout the journey and being woken up by someone just when you arrive at the airport. ive been doing this everytime i go back home, which is the reason i never know the way. so when i saw that we were in the city and there was no sign of an airport - i paniced!)
after bugging the untensurusan fr like ten mins in my sleepy-n-broken japanese, i was told that we were yet to get there. finally i reached the airport, ran around looking fr them and was told that everything was fine and the immigrations jst wanted to 'check'!
so we came back to beppu, with one of them saying - 'this country stinks' - owing to some weird fishy thing she'd eaten on the plane, and the other one all excited and ready to start her one month in chinki land.
their first lil party last night at the beach was fun! even though i'd to come back home early cuz one of em wasnt feeling too well (first encounter with alcohol) i guess she will be fine and i wouldnt have to come back home like last night nemore.. so wanted to party! but i guess on the 1st day, din've much choice. but they'll understand soon!
just hoping their stay is worthwhile. with plans getting made about okinawa, i really have no clue, but im really looking forward to the change.

2006-06-03T18:28:00.001+09:00

What is it that we want.

I notice these days how some people get immensely BORED with everything around them. Even if they have friends who will do anything for them, work which they love, good grades, and the energy to attract anyone they talk to - there is a 'bored feeling' on their face all the time!

Its hard to understand what they are chasing because nothing seems to satisfy them. Yes, it is the same routine with the same people at college and the same food in the cafeteria. Life is made up of routines!

BUT people are happy and they enjoy every second that they live. Its what we give attention to that grows within and around us.

As for me - even if I get bored, it lasts only a couple of minutes because there is always something new to do.

2006-05-28T21:48:00.000+09:00

a fabulous musical concert in a posh country-house leaves you.. satisfied!!
i love music.. so much that smts even the go-off-to-sleep-or-you'll-die kinda boring music sounds quite charming. well the one today, that i'm talking about, wasn't anything like that :P
the concert (along with a barbeque) was at a beautiful country-house amidst bamboo trees, in a place called Kitsuki. it took a very very omoshiroi one-hr ride with my Otousan to get there (with him talking about my 'future' plans - i.e. ranging from what i'll do when i get back home in the afternoon to how many kids i want to have after i get married!)
so.. heneway,
the performances were great - flute, guitar, and harmonica. ones that leave you in high (romanchiku??) spirits with all sorts of wonderful thoughts. your mind becomes clear (even though its jst fr a split second) giving you a glimpse of what you want/should be doing in the future.. and the food (but ofcooose) was yummy as ever..
so i came back, feeling complete and happy cuz of all these wonderful things that had occured..
in the moment-of-clarity i'd even thought i would start off with my 1500word report, finish it by 10pm, watch an episode of friends, and then sleep.. perfect0??
BUT... on returning home i get a msg saying i have an exam in the 2nd prd on multiculturalism (mind you, its approx. 135slides EACH, and there are 5 lectures coming!!) shocked as i am, i couldnt understand what was being said to me.
i panic.. and i go ganbatte-ing fr 3hrs. finish one lect. and here i am ... (pause)
(did anyone feel that earthquake or was it jst me??)

love at first sight

2006-05-16T23:14:00.000+09:00

the instant we met, i knew it was smth special.
moments we've shared are unfathomable...
dancing around in circles till we saw stars. lazying around in the summer sun. getting embarrassed every time your head drooped as you dozed off. rains - running around like kids, getting soaked and wetting the whole house. food - ah.. that was a common love.
i thought we'd stay for longer, but you went away too soon.. its taking me long to accept this. even now, smts i can hear you sneeze and feel your presence!
it kills me to think we wont be together anymore. to smell shampoo as you shake your head to dry your wet hair.
no matter those who come, i've loved you, and i always will.
you're closest to heaven than i'll ever be, and i will miss you everyday my sweet kitty* (*my dog who passed away two yrs back).

ishpeaking thots

2006-05-16T18:30:00.001+09:00

you know there are some people who know exactly what and when to say, and -usually- it makes a lot of sense.
for me, i usually end up going blank - zilch - *poof* at the time. OR i end up saying smth totally stupid, that makes no sense. then later, i come up with smth i could have said. but you know what, tough luck - the moment's gone!!
recently, i was actually able to say exactly what i felt, and surprisingly, it turned out to be the worst day. as i spoke, i knew it was all going wrong, and everything started to sound exactly the opposite of what i had meant it to.
it was like my head was saying "FYI: smts our weaknesses are our strenghts. SHUT UP!" but i didnt.
so, a general advice to those who have the same problem - you're not losing out on much. its not such a good feeling anyway :P