6.11.08

autumn (because i find it funny to noun-ize a verb)

The leaves are finally falling in Arlington. It is awesome, the brown carpet of dead leaves on the grass, the multi-colo(u)red trees, the dynamism that comes with changing colours every day.

Morbid as it might sound, there is so much beauty in death. if something that signifies the end can be so beautiful, i am eagerly waiting for something that signifies the beginning.

I was in NY for a few days a couple of weeks back. Didn't have a lot of time to go to the right places to see the fall colours, but i loved whatever little i saw.

Central Park, NY



some arbit park, NJ.

pics from uta coming soon :D

14.9.08

Transplanting 101

Its been a while since i blogged .
and in the while that its been, i have moved to Arlington, Texas, to pursue my Masters in Architecture.

Transplanting 101 is the lesson that they "taught" us at the orientation. It was about the old soil and the new soil have to interact and reach a balance before it can take root. It made a lot of sense to us then. and still does.

My "experiences in America" so far have been interesting, to say it simply.
The first week ( half-week, rather - i got here on a Wednesday) passed in a daze - time spent with family and overcoming jet-lag.
The next two weeks - was spent in trying to fix a place to stay and getting used to the university.
Its been 3 weeks since school started.

The first thing i noticed about the US was - "there's mosaic at the Houston airport!"
The second (this was when i went to walmart, and bought household supplies) - everything's HUGE!
The third (this was on a sunny afternoon, under the shade of a tree in front of the library) - the squirrels are LARGE. and they don't have stripes !! ( they are very cute - they look like the classic chip-n-dale cartoons, when they are biting on something.)
The fourth - Man, the onions are like tennis balls, and the potatoes are like missiles!

I find it strange that one has to ask for water as a "drink" in a restaurant. I also find it strange that everyone is so friendly. ( I am not complaining - it just took me almost 2 weeks to get used to everyone smiling and nodding to me). I also find it funny that vegetarian food in fast food joints is so hard to find (Indian subs and McD's - yayy!)

What i do love about the country, is the thoroughness. They pay attention to the minutest detial( to the point that the vegetables in most stores are 'waxed' to make them look good). There is not a single "inaccessible" space that I have come across. They value time. Theirs and others. The level of automation is also mind-boggling. There are machines for everything. Systems for everything. Methods for everything. and, a sense of humo(u)r accompanies it all. Americans can laugh at themselves.

We have a lot to learn from this country. and I hope that we will.
If we are able to implement systems in the next 20 years in India, i will consider it a big victory.

Signing off, ttyl. :P

8.7.08

do aane mein chaaar !

Disclaimer: I love all the people that are/have helped me ... this is just to see the other side!
Now you'll know why I am cranky, when I am!

Its been a while.
In the "while" that its been, I've managed to get myself admitted into The University of Texas at Arlington, for a Masters in Architecture.
As a result of that, I have had to do a LOT of running around ; deal with Govt. offices ; talk/meet/act in ways that I normally wouldn't.
At the end of every "step" ; when it seemed that things had a dead end, something happened that cleared the clouds. Call it providence, call it fate, call it a divine intervention. I'm just happy that it all did - and thankful to all the people who made it happen :)
Now that I have less than a month to leave, apart from the usual (Will you come back ? ; will you remember us? ; When will i see you next? ; Will you come back with an accent? ; I'll kill you if you talk to me with a twang! ; Happy 4th of July ; Will you start wearing short skirts and tank tops? ; If you go away now, WHEN do you intend to get married?) ; I am also getting a LOT of gyaan.
Free, unsolicited gyaan.
What I thought only held good for cricket (ref my post titled ICF ..) is now good for Foreign travel also. especially if you are travelling as a student. alone.
One person tells you to learn to cook; another says its no big deal .. you'll learn anyway. One person tells you its no use learning; whose going to eat the junk that you prepare? Another tells you that you are doomed if egg is not among your preferred list of foods.
One tells you to carry as many clothes from here as possible. Another says that what you get here is not in vogue there; and you'll end up feeling like ugly duckling!
One tells you that you;ll learn to adjust to other people/ habits / cultures ; another says that it'll be near-impossible : given how finicky I am.
One tells you not to live away from campus another says that far aways is all the place you will get to live, initially.
One tells you that it is going to be all fun ; another says it'll be all work and no play.

My response to all this:
THANK YOU.
I understand that you mean well, but no thanks.
If you have anything to say that you have experienced (i can see that smile on your face, appa!) then share your wisdom... but please don't "expect" me to listen. Just as you think you are entitled to your opinion, I am too; to mine!

1.2.08

Quarter-life crisis ...

For the want of enthusiasm / inspiration to write something original, here's something i read, and love :)


Being a twenty-something...........

It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing thatthere are many things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.

You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly thegreatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you don't recognize isthat they are realizing that too, and aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.

You look at wat ur studyin or ur job... and it is not even close to what you thought you would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and that scares you.

Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn't. One minute,you are insecure and then the next, secure.

You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away, and there is nothing to do but staywhere you are or move forward.

You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you. Or you lie in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you lovesomeone! but love someone else too and cannot figure out why you'redoing this because you know that you aren't a bad person. Getting wastedand acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. You go through thesame emotions and questions over and over, and talk with your friendsabout the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision.

You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for yourself... and while winning the
race would be great, right now you are scared justto be a contender!
What you may not realize is that every one reading this relates to it.We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out. Send this to your twenty-something friends... maybe it will help someone feel like they aren't alone intheir state of confusion...

Its called "Quarter-life Crisis." nothing is constant......except change. wats life without a few risks? keep playing the game ! Just take care and be good .. & be Honest to yourself