BLMI

What not does a boring, rather monotonous and lengthy internship make you do?
Blog.
Blogsites being the only ones that aren’t blocked, here I go.

Rock walk
Oh yeah, a BMLI (boring, monotonous and lengthy internship) can make you look up an ad in the news paper about a group of enthusiasts going “rock walking”, and make you call up and join them, even if you are totally unaware of the place, group, itinerary. I couldn’t care less, anyway. Have to admit, I was desperate to feel that I had something called a body which has muscles and can workout. Then, I was on my usual roping-in business trying to drag my friends into it too, like a pitcher plant trying to attract insects.
Finally, one gave in.
We started quite early and ended up roaming around the pick-up spot to pass time, till the others turned up. After a lot of confusion (thanks to the multiple crossroads at the spot), we met the group and carpooled to a place which I pass through daily, on the way to my internship. Served well for expecting a change of place! It was pretty interesting to discover that the boulders which seemed trivial and out-of-the-blue amidst the concrete jungle, as seen daily were actually very expansive and had a history of over 2500 million years! The society to save rocks which was conducting this trip was realized by a group of rock climbing, environmental enthusiasts who were awestruck by the quality of rocks here. Living on the Deccan plateau for about 7years now, I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed to not know the significance of the ‘rocky’ place. I am sure more than half of the population here doesn’t. But this organization is catching up and lighting the spark. Recently, it had filed petitions asking builders to accommodate rock clusters into the ambience and recreational area. It felt good to see these ideas getting realized already in some buildings printed on their pamphlet and website saverocks.org.

The walk was not physically excruciating, but with such ardent and veteran company, I couldn’t keep myself from trying out jumping above some really deep trenches and climbing steep surfaces I never thought I could. It was easier than the slippery rocks at Tada waterfalls. As usual, I met a diverse set of people who kept interesting and informative company. There was this girl who was 1/8th Norwegian, 1/8th Scottish, 1/4th American, and the ½ Indian part was intact (for obvious reasons). And a German-Indian mix who was having a tough time explaining his equally German-Indian name, which had no meaning, both German and Indian parts of the name meaning ‘emitting radiance’. “Dyutimay” :D . Guess Indian crossing is catching up fast.
That’s pretty much about it, and the next day when I was back on Intern-track, I pointed those boulders to my guide and said “I went there yesterday, doing monkey business”. :D
After I rendered a detailed elucidation, he decided to give it a shot with family!

Desiderata

This was something I came across when I was under loads of stress and frustration for the most trivial reasons on earth.
Here it goes

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence,
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons,
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself,
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your won career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time,
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
Whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world,
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.


---Max Ehrmann

I dream returns

I thought I should do something about my blog. It has been idle for a long time. (Really ? )


' A bus ? Why do you want to take that , now?'
' There is no reservation available. And I want to be at home now. '
' Look, there goes another flick of your poor planning. '
' :D ' (Anything done with a purpose seems impetuous to the people of this world ;) )
' Take a flight. You won't come in a bus. It's very risky.'
What's not risky dad!
' Please, please , I wanna travel in bus. My friends do that very often and they are perfectly OK with it. And it's faster too , just 12 hrs. Moreover , I have company. '
'You will never do that again.'
'Ok , done! Thanks! ' (Mmmm , Lets see ;) )

It was really nice. The journey . Though I slept for some fragmented 3 hours . Spent the rest of the time talking , talking and .... erm talking to my friend ,commenting (criticizing) a telugu movie being played , fiddling with the rubix cube for some finite time , playing 'cows and bulls' , staring at the full moon through the bus window , stopping and grabbing a quick bite at a real 'dhaba' . Trust me , I am not exaggerating when I say you can't compare the food with mess grub. It was too good.

I recommend everyone try it out sometime. A long, sleepless, lively bus journey.

Risks Involved :I slept ( read hibernated) from 4pm to 8am the next day !
(My future venture : A long drive)
PS : It might not be a big deal for some people , but for a newbie like me it is . :)

Yay! I can compose!!

Have a look at this :

I look to the skies
With a vision of hope in my eyes
A bursting urge to break all bounds
May or may not materialize
But this is what, I fantasize.

The first two lines came spontaneously with no effort, the next needed a lil' thought . :D

yipeeee!

95.6 % Common DNA

In my two-sem long stay at the hostel , I seldom had cribs about anything... until one fine morning , when I got to know my "co-inmates" better : Monkeys, with whom I never had a problem .

Sem 1: Ah! Monkeys!! Where else in this country would you have a chance to "share a common home with them". Sounded good. Dean : "They are not the intruders, we are". Point. Well, that's true, but we don't go about culting their grub, nor do we give them a wash with medicare.
I was never scared of them, neither fascinated..it was just that they existed..until one sunny happy morning, when I got up to see monkeys in the room instead of my roomie(who had gone to take bath). I was surprised(duh!) , not scared., just took care that i shouldn't enrage them, they picked up a plastic box with boost in it and left the room gracefully .

Sem2 : I was leaving for home , after the end-sems . Wanting to get rid of all the old food stuff I never touched , I stepped out of my safe cocoon , holding the last stuff you would want a monkey-joint-family to see you with. Hehe. I smiled to myself . Stud timing. I get threatened , by a little one -Dare you scream , I shall keep pulling your hair until the last strand is plucked. That's what I saw in the eyes of the creature that was now pulling at one end of my kurta. Fine , I am a good girl . I kept my mouth shut. Moreover, it was as early as seven ; even if the monkeys spared me , the wing junta wouldn't have. They did their business. Within a blink of an eye, the whole corridor was a mess . I tried avoiding the cleaning lady's eyes :D . But yeah , these are things they are used to , and we are getting used to.

I am sure I'll have many such encounters with these fellow creatures before I pass out of the institute. Hey guys , I have nothing against you. But please , spare the grub and don't intrude into rooms and yeah, don't mess up the place even if you get hold of some food. Ha! Talk about high-expectations.