The Boredays

Ok, I'm sort of settled now. No, not completely.
Results were out, yes and I did just okay, so there is no stinging surprise there. I have to decide upon my course and college ( Well, you know its not an easy job and hence the 'not completely settled tag') . This is even tougher for me, Hmm..for all my life I'd wanted to do journalism or English Literature and finally I've now landed on the worst thing that I'd expected- Engineering. *sigh* . I've sort of got this strange , unforeseeable chill that no matter what ever you plan for your future-you get only what you are destined too..let's see and hope for the best and yes, do pray for me to pull through another fours years of hardship.

Moving on, I just found this website 'Flipkart'! I never thought internet book store will be this comfy and quick , but this is just awesome!! You order a book and the next day-g! It's at your doorstep. And yes, I crossed my limits and bought 9 books in a week. And you get bookmarks with them. Ok, they are not adorable, but I need them a lot!

I just got a copy of "The Lost Symbol". I know, I am terribly late- but as they say " Its better Late than never". I'm not allowed to read it :| . My dad shoved it away some where and promised to give it back only when I finish reading "Leaves of Grass". It's a Walt Whitman classic. I liked his poems- we had an excerpt of 'The tribute to Abraham Lincoln" in 11th grade. That Oh Captain! My Captain was so touchy and the lines literally bought tears. But well, Mr.Whitman- I don' like it when something comes in between, Dan Brown and me! :P . Well, I better get going and waste no more time and finish this book right away then!

Toodles!

Over the Week (or month)

Hey all!

I’ve not had any super-amazing week, but still it something worth writing about.

So, here is some random stuff that happened over the past days.

· Endless Social Networking

I think its time that I deactivated my facebook account for a while. Its like I’ve been hooked onto my computer and have become extremely lazy ( not that I am hyper active normally) . I think I need a break now. Forget the days of deactivating facebook accounts for the sake of exams. Deactivation can also be done when you have an overdose of it. And I seem to be suffering from a very heavy overdose.

· How people amaze me.

You rightly read that. I am not talking about extraordinary people who amaze you with their skills. Just the usual people you meet talk and chat every single day. I am surprised how people change colours so quickly. I am seriously stuck in deciding who to believe and who not to. Perhaps, when I sit back and rewind to this same day- a year back, these things which are happening today never seemed to come from anywhere. None of us, even in our wildest dreams thought of such things.. This sort of made me sick that I decided not even to care about anyone or what anyone says. I decided to go my own way and do only what my heart says. I really don’t have to go behind anyone. If you need me- I am there, if you don’t – I seldom care. ( Now that rhymed :P)

· Trying to be a bookie

I remember vacations when any book was enough to keep me occupied. I could read one huge book straight away, without breaks. I could read for hours together without eating or even sleeping.

Now, I could hardly read two pages at a stretch. That’s not good, is it?

So, I just tried to regain my past momentum- I started reading Scarlet letter ( I know that’s not apt at this kind of situation) Well, I am half way through it, and its an amazing book-its classic.

· Brushing up my Japanese

I started again with my Japanese lessons- but this time, I am doing it all by myself with the text books and Cds. I must say that I am quite surprised with my own memory- I remember everything the way I left it, a couple of months ago. I’m just trying to learn some more Kanchi.

· My Dv4

I started using my laptop quite often. I love the tup-chap sound the keys make when I type fast. And I am discovering many more things I can do with it like organising the junk that I have- music into separate folders, pictures, articles and all. If a pavilion can make a person like me to be organized, then imagine what it can do to you!

· My Book

I started writing a travelogue kind of book with a lot of hesitation. I began it only after realising that it was the only way to get an IPhone ( Yes, my dad promised to get me one when I completed that) . Now, 100 pages done and I’m still not liking it-it’s not like what iI usually write. I need to get it into my own style- so, I’ll probably begin it from square one, all over again.

And now for the spooky part- My results are coming out this Monday . ( Yes, I call it spooky)

And this is perhaps, the first time that the results are gonna be out so soon. That’s giving me goose bumps, but as my friend told me- what is going to happen anyway?! ( Yes, I have such enduring friends) .

Having said that, I’m pretty tired now and can’t wait to get some sleep ( Not to mention that I’ve been sleeping all day today)

I’ll post again soon-with a lot of updates!

The Soul of Asia

Hey!
Here goes my very short travelogue on my 10 day trip to Seoul!

If it wasn’t for the invitation from the National Archives of Korea to participate in the International Archival Exhibition 2010 (IACE 2010) organized by the UNESCO, I would have never thought of visiting South Korea. However, I being much fascinated by traveling and being an avid traveler, decided to go along. The first thing, I noticed was the impression of Korea, that the people here had. I’ve had enough of people asking “oh wow, where are you going?” and when I say “Korea”, I could see their faces dropping down and them asking “ oh..Uh..mm…near Japan right?” and since this was when the South –North Korean ties were severing, there were people who were like “Oh..There is a war going on there..Come back soon!” All these thoughts were ringing in my mind and came to an abrupt stop when I set foot at Incheon International Airport. It was a tiring journey, with a cancellation in the first flight we had to travel which resulted in us reaching there five hours late! The tiredness disappeared instantly, at the sight of this green airport! It was a huge, majestic, glass and steel structure. From here, it was a long drive to the country’s capital ,Seoul (which is pronounced as Soul).

The roadway itself was beautiful with amazing greenery and flashing lights and metro trains here and there. The Korean people were so down to earth! Where else would you find people who would accompany you all the way to a taxi stand and give the driver instructions when you had just asked them the direction to get back?. They are like the kindest people I’d ever seen and had that pretty smile bubbling with hospitality. At the IACE, I was surprised to see thousands of people flocking towards Coex (where the exhibition was held), to catch a glimpse of the archival material there .My dad represented India for the rich palm-leaf manuscript heritage we posses. It was indeed surprising to see people spending their weekend on viewing archival culture rather than in a movie theatre.

The Yumm Food

Korean food is just awesome! Here, you can taste the most amazing food without adding on to your calories. Every serving has loads of greens and veggies, which are surprisingly tasty! And every meal had plenty of citrus fruits and yogurt to go with it. The herbs and spices added to each preparation is just enough to make you live a hundred years! No wonder, I never saw a Korean who was obese. To top it all was the ever-famous Kimchi. The pickled cabbage was to go with every food you eat and was sure a perfect accompaniment. I was really surprised to see, Indian Style Chicken Curry on one of the menus. The product however, was nothing close to one. It had the same Korean spices and Kimchi with it!

One of a Kind

We visited the Korean Cultural Centre in a Dragon Train and saw the age old fortresses which shined in all its glory! Samsung- the country’s famous electronic appliance brand gave us a warm reception and the display of the company’s past, present and future left us in awe of the pace of its development. We also visited the National Archives of Korea which emphasized on the importance of preservation of archives, followed by a Gala dinner with traditional Korean food and performances. The energy with which the artistes performed made us gasp.

Korea is one place where you would realize, you cannot survive with English alone,for there were very few who could speak English. It was indeed fun to walk through different lanes in the evenings, having no idea where the path is taking you to, eating at restaurants which never had English menus and communicating with people who never understood a thing you were trying to say!. You would be greeted by ‘Anyonghaseyo’ (Welcome/hello) everywhere you go and these still echoes in my ears. It was remarkable that Korea was both green and technology rich at the same time!

So, next time, if you want to go to a place that is different, eco friendly and has people with a real good heart, head straight here. The experience is truly one of a kind. It’s the best country I’d visited and am sure that you’ll feel the pretty same too. Korea is just not mere Samsung, LG or Hyundai but further, a country with rich heritage, good hospitality, warm people and modern technology

!

Filler :) :D

Hey All!

This is certainly not the post I wanted to post :P

I was coming up with something nice after this long gap....something on my 'fantabulous' summer ..about class 12! (yikes!)..about new stuff at school...about the book I am writing which never seems to come to an end..and about a couple of random stuff which I don't remember!

BUT! I have some free time now and I just wish to blabber some random stuff! The other things will come up shortly ( I stress on the word shortly).

Hmm....
ok! let me begin with....
oh..where do I start?! hmmm...
Okay! Here are some random things that happened over the time I'd been away ( some are even happening now.! no offense)!

- I had a beautiful vacation. I visited South Korea and HK and had the time of my life there! How I wished for it to last longer...I want one such 'Fine' holiday after my boards!!

-I'm the President of my school's English Club :) . I've been planning for my club's first activity, an Interactive session. Every time I plan something, everything seems to fall apart :( .

- 12th grade is sick :(

- I am done with my quarterly exams.. And have my vacation now ( if 4 days makes one )

- We had to write 2 observations in 2 months of our summer holidays and now we have to write 3 records + physics diagrams for two lessons + solve our question papers + write a test on the re-opening day + prepare for unit tests which will begin shortly..ALL IN FOUR DAYS!

- The thought of it makes me dizzy.

-So..lets not talk about it :P

- I working on a project now. Its on ' Writing Practises in India'.

- I am too much addicted to facebook these days.

- I goofed up on my English paper II essay! The title i chose was ' The profession I prefer' and yea..I ruined it terribly ..ha..ha.. lets see how much I get for that!

- Again about school, I'm sort of hating it! I wish to be back- happy and careless in 11-C. We had a GREAT time last year!!

-I know this post is lame, but as the Title says, its just a filler. But, do expect pretty good posts soon!.

Bye,
Sheba

Vacation Adventures Part 4- Thailand

We were at Suvarnabhoomi Intl. Unlike my -thinking- this airport was HUGE too!! , it literally had no walls and it was only glass panes all over. And this was when the message of Swine Flu was spreading like wild fire. At the terminal I could see various sign boards put up requesting passengers from the Americas to go for a medical Check-up. The immigration process went on smoothly and quickly. Wherever you turned you could see thai women dressed in thier crisp costumes giving you a simle of hospitality!. A sight which you could not see anywhere which makes it real comfy for people from other lands. We were trailing at the airport pushing our really- heavy trollies ( from the amount of shopping we did in S.pore and M.asia) and almost went out and in untill we found the person who was waiting for us. After we found this guy ( My dad’s PhD student he was!) we found ourselves in a BIG GIANT car towards our hotel. Thailand was full of greenery. wherever I turned I could see Green, green and Green.

The hotel was at ” Bangkok University”, yet this hotel was too luxurious. I never have imagined that a University would have a hotel of this sort. The University itself was full of greens. Our room was at the 11th Floor. The room was Big with a Huge window and a dozen interchangable curtains. Everything was automated. wow!

We set out for lunch at some popular mall there. And the thing was that we were served with our food within 2 minutes. And surprisingly, when the waitress placed our orders, it was alll raw meat!! And thats when i realised , u have to cook ‘em all by yourself in the tiny induction stoves at your table! good technique!! This also included my failed atempts at eating rice with chopsticks! . A lil’ bit of shopping was enough to make every one realise that everything were a lot cheaper than the former places. A hair iron for 600 baht ( around 1000 indian rupees) whould prove it. We got on the cab back to our hotel ( one thing that really amazed me was the cabs, bright pink, orange, purple! they looked lovely!) .

The time we were suppoed to be resting, I spent the whole time researching (?!) the automated controls. ( and yea, I once locked out the bath door when no one was inside!). In the evening, one of my dad’s student had come to recieve us followed by a sumptuous dinner ( which I didn’t lke, the reason being the fish was raw!!)

The next morning we had to travel a-lot! and visit a lot of places.

The first one was the Arun-Wat, a traditional thai temple like thing, with architecture ,words cannot describe( so next vacation head straight here ). We had to leave there by a auto like thing which was specially for tourists out there. The next was the Grand Palace. It amazed me, TOTALLY!!. Where ever you turn, it was all glittering gold! gold, gold and more GOLD. And those small shining, sparkling gems out there were something worth shelling out your bucks for. It was the most perfect scene. The colours, sparkles were truly a bliss. I just have to upload the pics here, cuz u know, pictures speak a thousand words!

My dad was particular about a Thai massage. He did get one ( His remark being ” may be i should come here once a month to get a massage done!”)

Our lunch was at a place amidst the lake alongside the waters. It was the Chao Praya ( I think i got the spelling wrong) river. We had to get across for another landmark. And the best site there was the purple lotus and the flower which had something like, a Snake over a Shiva -Ling.

There was a place called India- Mall, which was in a place called Little -India ( My dad’s like ” see, Indians are every where! there is a Little-India almost everywhere!)

We had dinner with my dad’s friend that night.

The next day, as we had to leave that evening, we just opted to have a short trip around the University ( Which went on till evening, much to my amazement) . There was a Thai-Cultural House there. A really beautiful one on Thai Traditions. A great experience!!. Just when we were at one block, it started raining. Raining heavily. Really heavily.

And we were stuck there when it was just a few hours before our flight. It rained, and rained and seem to be never ending. And that was when the people there told us that it was the onset of Thai Monsoon. It was still raining with lightning and thunder adding to it. Finally we reached the airport just an hour and a half before our flight.

Surfing throught the Duty-Free shops were great. Infact, it just breaks the fact that they-are-so-very-costly!

We boarded the Srilankan airline flight, And I was sleepy, It was a 3hr 20 min flight back and the good thing about it was I got to watch Bride Wars! ( which was not even released in India by then)

We had a transit at Srilanka for about 9 hours, and decided to go on to a hotel , inorder to avoid waiting at the airport!.

The hotel was YUCK! with an Ac which doesn’t fill it’s purpose, and I spent the entire time swamping mosquitoes!. It was obivious that I didn’t get to sleep. On the other hand, i was really shocked to see mom and dad fast asleep!!.

We got up as soon as possible and there was a vehicle waiting for us. Ta-da we reached the airport so quickly and I can feel my heart beating fast ” hurray, I am going to be back home”*

We reached the airport which was now familiar ( hey, I’ve already been there once ) . Dad was so particular in getting Ceylon Tea . And we ended up buying packets and packets of tea. It was early morning and we didn’t have anything since the early dinner at the flight, and ended up experimenting with fish rolls, chicken pies….bla…bla

Getting back to chennai was a wonderful feeling.

Look out for it next

* I know, I’ve hated the place I live, I’ve always wanted to get out somewhere. But it is only when I go out of my place for a couple of days, I realise the value of home. I was excited on the onset of he journey, but I was more thrilled and happy to get back home!! Love you Chennai!!