Dunno what to call it.

"India is a puzzle.", said the grey eyed Professor Smith, as he quietly sipped the glass of scotch my grandad poured out for him. His face had the look of someone who had not only visited India, but also bothered to get away from the 5 Star Hotels and explore the 'real' India. "It makes you love it, but at the same time, you realise  it's not perfect." That day sitting in the living room of my house in DD colony, Hyderabad I realised how true he was.And how privileged I am.

The very next day, when I went to my usual teatime hang out spot outside the CAT with Edward, Anwar bhai, the magnanimous Naan wallah observed,"Indian mein na kuch bhi ho saktha hain, humari Dubai mein bahut strict hain loga". He claims to be a descendant of the Nizam. As he says to everyone who bothers to listen, his mother was the last Nizams concubine and he was born in Dubai. Yes readers, you might be all fascinated, but you roam around Charminar, you will find at least 10 more men like Anwar bhai. True Story.

My country scares me. It makes me think. I feel disgusted, at the same time I feel proud of being an Indian. The diversity is gut wrenching. Just the sight of a little boy begging near a big mall tell you a story. I have tasted champagne a bottle of which costs anywhere from 3000 rupees to well, I even saw a 90000 rupees worth champagne. There are millions of people who do not make that much money in a year in this country. 

Human Rights activists have maids to clean their house, and cooks to cook their food. 

The diversity is not limited to the economy. People in the North would not know what's  an Appam. I din't know what Bhujia was till I came to Jodhpur. I don't get what people mean when they say "I want to see real India.". Dude, you have landed in India, and so you are in real India, as opposed to a 'fake' India. DLF Promenade in Delhi is as much a part of India, as Lepakshi is. People still think India is full of snake charmers and old men with big black moustaches!Golly!

Yes, as I told my Lebanese neighbor in  the bus journey to Jodhpur, we speak Hindi not India. He wanted to know what water is called in 'Indian'. Whether it's in the bylanes of Charminar or in the Second Class compartment in the Rajdhani Express, Indians are Indians. We care. One day during my internship I was sick, and the next day I went back to have chai in Anwar Bhai's shop he gave me free 'Paya', and not chai. I can never forget the Assamese family who totally helped me stay calm in the much delayed train to Delhi. I was even offered a house to stay the night in. Yep, all cause my Gran got all senti and asked that lady to 'keep an

eye' on yours truly who was travelling alone in a train for the first time. Well, if the decree passed by Ammamma stays it could well have been my last train journey alone!

As we have all read in second grade there is unity in diversity in India. If some work does not get done over the table, whether we are from Banjara Hills or Siatafalmandi, we all look 'under the table'. Fat uncles (whether rich or poor, south Indian or North Indian) all over the country gyrated to the beats of Sheela and Munni and oh yeah, Justin Bieber on the New years night! And when New Year dawns we call our friendly neighborhood Astrologer, or go to the nearby Baba or attend the midnight mass or go to the mosque, Gurudwara, temple, etc.

Try as much as you can, you NRIs, you can never run away from your heritage. Nope not the fake accent, nor the fake Gucci sunglasses, or the cheap Christian Louboutins and not even the "Oh my God! my baby will not survive in India" can make you look non-Indian. No amount of hand sanitizer will rub away the Indian-ness, that is inherently there in you. You will still have to fight the urge not to litter and not to employ household help. Gotcha! 

We have all types here, the watchers, the hopers, the 'live'-ers and the prayers. Each group with it's own attitude and own beliefs. The guitar players and the Sitar players, the rappers and the classical singers, the pickle lickers and the Pizza eaters, the cheap roadside romeos and the hot suave college guys, the mountain climbers and the beach goers. 

I differ from what I said at the beginning of the post, My country does not scare me, it amazes and sometime amuses me!

P.S.- Another post which is a result of this never ending writer's block! 

Bad Hair Day. Everyday.

I totally get Harry Potter's frustration about his unruly hair. The fact that his mop of unruly hair gets mentioned at least once in all the books is a great credit to the hair itself! Harry, I sympathize with you, I know how it feels to have hair with a head of it's own. No matter how much you comb it, wash it, condition it, and as the fancy shampoo advertisements go, "take care of it", it still does what it wants.

I have been blessed, as some say or cursed, as I say with thick, wavy and most importantly unmanageable South Indian hair. As far as hair stories go, my hair has a pretty long tale. As Ammamma fondly remembers I was born with a crop of hair, so my hair troubles began on 21st September, 1990 itself. For as long as I could remember I had short cropped hair. Yet, everyday before I left for school my mum used to literally sit me down and struggle for 10 minutes to get my hair to 'not stand up'. By the time I got down in school my hair was just as it was before my mum combed it. Then thanks to my mum's and Sharon Aunty's combined efforts I had shoulder length hair by the time I was in class 4. So I let it grow, and took great care of it, it slowly started listening to me. At some point in class 6 I had even got one of those Pushkar type hair extensions in HOT PINK, don't even ask! 

However then class 6 summer holidays happened, and I suddenly decided to get all serious about my place in the swim team, yeah yeah, hard to believe now, but I was pretty good then. Hajira Mam happened and all of a sudden I decided to crop my hair! Yep! My mum was aghast, my music teacher, well let's not even go there. She almost fainted when she saw me! But then I found it really nice and very convenient. Even then, my hair used to never ever listen to me. NEVER EVER.

So my short cropped hair continued for quite a long time, sometime in class 10 I decided to grow it back, much to my mom's and grandmom's great relief! By the time my tenth boards finished and I came back from our awesome trip to visit daddy in Shillong, my hair was as long as it was in 6th. Then my real problems started. My hair as I sadly realised has some kind of energy with which it made up its mind to not do what I want it to! For as long  as I could humanly remember I wore a tight braid to Junior College, sigh! 

When I realised I made it to NLU, another fear overtook me. HOW THE HELL WILL I MANAGE MY HAIR? To my relief I managed it pretty well the first semester. Back then my hair was this long unruly mess, full of tangles! The desert winds have made it even more indisciplined. So, as year 2011 dawned upon me I made a decision. I decided I'd get get my hair cut off it reaches only shoulder. Yes, Sharon aunty was shocked once again, when I walked upto her, determinedly and said, "Please Aunty 5 inches!". She smiled sheepishly and said "Ok, sit". And an hour later, I realised to my HORROR, that my hair might not reach into a ponytail, but then it did! So, I begin this year with  shoulder length, OK, a Lil more than shoulder length,Sharon aunty left it there for good measure. 

So here's to probably having less bad hair days this year. Then again I realized how much I miss my long and unruly mop!

Twenty Ten. and Eleven.

Bhai, the year is ending. Ok ok ok don't get scared, I have not transformed into a 'pan chewing red mouthed foul talking Hyderabadi Auto driver'. Yeah the ones who are never ready to go anywhere, and those who say "Madam Tum 20 rupees extra kaiku nai dethe?". True Story.

Well this post is not about the unfair practices of the autowallahs of Hyderabad. This post is a general look back at the year that was. It's been 4 years since that night on which I started writing this blog, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY TANGYPOISON!

The experiences I had this year were quite memorable. It's not everyday that you get to sing for your grandma, or own a football team or make amazing friends that you know will stick by you forever! I have met some pretty cool and unusual people this year, yeah, like the 80 year old Aussie Professor or the superbly talented guitarist from Purdue ( no names taken here) or the fishermen in Murudeshwar and the cook in that little hotel in Charminar who claimed to be a descendant of the Nizam!

The feeling of finally owning and learning a guitar is absolutely out of the world (Well, about the progress of my learning, ahem ahem, that's a post to look forward to in 2011). The mid-June trip to the West Coast, yep, my ancestral village was pretty enlightening and when combined with the Spanish win of the Football World Cup, pretty exhilarating! I finally figured out I am more of a beach going, coconut sipping, snorkelling person than a hill and mountain person, though I really like hillstations too. Guess it's in the genes.

I had all kinds of food this year. Pushkar food with unpronouncable names, but ofcourse that Nimsa Cake! I got to eat Sushi and Sashimi, yes the authentic ones. Chat, yes Dheeru remember that Pani Puri Competition? Yes, I ate 40 of them! The Naan and Shish Kababs outside the Court everyday, or Special Mutton Biryani from Shadab, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh! Just the thought of all that makes my toes curl! And there's always the never ending supply of Ammamma's home made stuff, they just get tastier year by year! Yes, I went to that fundraiser met celebs and ate all the fancy but not that tasty food. Oh yes I totally forgot KFFC!

I've been to my share of concerts and plays this year, both classical and not. My favorite classical was Nookala Satyanarayana Murthy's concert in the Thyagaraja Festival in May. That concert just shows why I totally look upto that man, and felt truly honored when he was at my December gig (Yes, Bharat, I finally said it, gig), though he was there coz of Ammamma (lol, but still). His comments about my singing are amongst my most valued. Been to a coupla rock concerts, not really famous bands,unless you call Junkyard Groove a famous band, ok they are I think, they were alright, have seen better shows!  The One by our college band set the stage on fire! 'Twist and Shout'!

The concerts I saw back home in Hyderabad, the IIIT Rockfest were awesome. I  The music scene in Hyderabad right now is really quite amazing compared to what it was a few years ago, and this is all good news. I saw some pretty good bands in Octave also. Octave was an experience by itself! The food and the music. Also thanks to Hard Rock, we do see some decent music almost everyday of the week.

Well apart from this there were a few parties, a few tears and a lotsa times when my world seemed content when I just sat down with a coupla friends in the mess, doing, well nothing and eating Lays and drinking Coca-Cola! So this just was the year gone by... here's to hoping 2011 would be even half as good:

                         "HAPPY NEW YEAR, GUYS!"

Writer's Block. I think. and I miss College.

As a girl born in the year 1990, the world around me then and the world around me now seem like two different universes. MacDonalds, Baskin Robbins, and Subway became household names thanks to the millions of USA returned professionals settling in India, pink slips there and BAM! they landed here, with families and all. Thank heavens for that. Looks like Bollywood has finally learnt the fine art of innuendoing ( if that's a word). Saif Ali Khan in Karan Johar's TV show is a good example ( Well, the statement in question can be called the epitome of all Indian innuendos, old and new). On screen kissing whether 'live' or in a movie seems to be going down quite well these days ( remember the furore raised after Richard Gere kissed Shilpa Shetty!) well now people kiss all the time (eg. Refer to Koffee with Karan's episode with Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan). Bollywood stars dress better, eat healthier, and SPEAK much better English, well I am talking strictly about the grammer and not the content. 

So, the only thing that seems to be constant is change itself. When I got down from Mandore Express in Delhi before the start of this semester break I felt a strange heaviness in my heart. It was something I'd never felt before. I slowly realised I am sad, I am sad that yes I will miss my friends from college, those silly people without whom NLU would have been unbearable. Who were there by me through thick and thin, and I know will still be there for me forever, I just know. 

I reached Hyderabad, and a few days later when I logged onto Facebook I realised I wasn't the only one who felt that way, the whole classes's status messages seemed to be echoing the same thing, yes, we were all missing college. I can't wait to get back to college this time, though I sincerely doubt if I'd be feeling the same way on the day I am actually supposed to be leaving, the things lined up for this semester are mouth watering! Yes, It is that time of the year when all NLUites head down to the football field, when I frequently frequent Geoffreys, and make a few extra memos and presentations, yes! It is LEX LA LIGA time! The team this year looks strong, and I know we are in with a good chance this year.

Whether its interning under a judge, making friends with lawyers in court, early morning singing lessons, eating kebabs in unknown places in the Old City, or going to a Conference and bringing home old professors home for dinner, these holidays till now have been quite entertaining. I have explored the Old City to my heart's content and here's a big thank you to my guide, and fellow foodie Edward. Cheers! The Old City can be called the heart of Hyderabad where the 'Chalta hain' attitude is at it's best and there's always the smell of Dum Biryani or Shish Kabab wafting through the air. The people here have a heart of gold, yes Anwar Bhai the Naan wala outside the CAT gives us an extra naan for free if we have curry left, bless him!

So, here's Happy Holidays to everyone and Enjoy the Season! 

Cya someother time when I do something drastic like this to try and overcome the WRITER's BLOCK!

(This post is dedicated to Sandeep Chaitanya, thanks man!)

It happens during End Sems also.

A day before the Evidence Paper in National Law University,two girls decided to study together...the following is an account of the interesting thoughts that they have come up with while studying for the test.


On Dying Declaration...


Girl 1: Ok.So Dying declaration can be made orally or written..
Girl2 : Hey, this totally reminds me of the House of Wax!So, suppose you are in the house of wax, and you are like mummified in wax, and your friend is standing next to you and the killer is also there, if you point towards the killer with your eyes, will THAT be dying declaration?


Well let's ask some of the Honorable judges to ponder over that one!


While on the way to the hostel from the mess,


Girl 1: This case ok, it's for section 15..its called Perkins V Jeffrey. There was this guy who used to indecently assault this woman, you like flash her, you know what's flash right..
Girl 2: Yes, I know what flash is, it's not flash with a torch light!!


One other time,


Girl1: I can't send you files, my gtalk is f****d!!
Girl 2: Then Go, UnF*** it!!


In most cases, where there is Girl 1 and Girl 2, Girl 3 is also around somewhere, so here what happened a day after Diwali!


The Pigeon population of NLU has finally discovered that NGH is a livable place! Now there's pigeon's in every corner of the hostel.While trying to shoo a pigeon away,

Girl 3: She ( pigeon) will not go anywhere!
Girl 1: B***** dumb male/female pigeon! Go Away!
Girl 3: It's dumb, so it must be MALE!
Girl 2: Hahahahahahahahahaha!!


Girl 1 and Girl 2 were trying to study in Girl 1's room.There were rumbling noises from the balcony.


Girl 2: What  the hell, was that?
Girl 1: Oh that's pigeons in my balcony.
Girl 2: Ok..
Girl 1: Yeah it sounds like someone's having sex in my balcony.
Girl 2: Yuck..I have a vivid imagination!
Girl 1: Yeah, they are soo many of them its like they are having an orgy party!
Girl 2: STOP!


Here's the last one for now..


A few days ago on Gtalk.

Girl 1 :P
Girl 2: Go Study Exam Tommorow..Girl 1: Don't Feel like..
Girl 2: :')
Girl 1: WTF is :')?
Girl 2: An emoticon
Girl 1: Oh thats an emotional typo! 

That's all for now!!

Blah.Blah.Blah. and more BLAHness!

Random Wishlist:

1. Wants a gay friend like Lloyd. Yeah the Entourage one.

2. Want to name my daughter ( whenever that happens) Vodka.

3. Wants a lifetime supply of Oreos.

4. Wants law school to finish. Or Maybe not.

5.Wants to buy Arsenal not a stake but the whole thing!

6.Wants to be able to play "Iris" on her guitar.

7.Wants a Blackberry.

8. Wants to live on a beach.

9. Wants a CHANEL bag.

10. Lastly I want VSFC to win LEX LA LIGA 2.

OK. This post was the result of studying for the exams, well trying to study for them. Yes, it is that time of the year again, when you see Woolens, Monkey caps, overgrown beards, and sleepy confused looking faces all around. When Maggi is the food to eat, and there's Coffee all over. So if you think I am going mad, blame it on the EXAMS!!

So catchya folks later when I am finally home, after this dreaded semester finally ends!!

Kerala Fast Food Centre

A few days ago I heard about Kerala Fast Food Center from a friend. You can read more food related stuff on his really nice food blog. After finally going there and eating almost homelike food, I decided to blog about it. So here's to writing about off beat eateries!

As days passed the whole College seemed to be talking about PRAWNS, POMFRET, and ROAST CHICKEN! One day in the middle of a boring and uninspiring CT class Thara, Shashank and I decided to go and check out the place and see what all the fuss was about.

So on a cold Saturday night we finally head out to the place. We here includes the three of us and Bharatendu also( See I wrote about you now, so don't cry.). After a auto ride till Mandore, a bus ride to Paota, and finally an auto ride to the Panch Batti Choraha we reach the place. It is a little ahead of King's Pavillion, and is a small eatery next to a shop which sells other Kerala stuff like oils and Lungis. Trust me, it was kinda difficult to get a table, as both the tables there were taken by our fellow NLUites, or maybe I should be thankful to a few of them for actually getting a table. So here's a Thanks to Gautam Khazanchi ( also the new VSFC team Captain) and Riyaz Bhagat. Also Riyaz thanks for the prawns.

The inside is a like a little room divided into the seating area and a kitchen. For all those CLEANLINESS freaks out there, the kitchen is very clean and so is the place. For others like me whose main concern is the food, well the food is out of the world, and very homely.

The menu as a variety of Veg and NonVeg options. I'd call the place the "Jodhpur place to be" for the seafood lovers. True, there are other places to get seafood, but the platter is limited to fish. This place has Prawn too. There are a lot of Kerala specialities like Appam ( I must try that sometime), Idiappam, etc. There is also Idli, Dosa, etc also. There is the usual North Indian fare also available, all the Paneer and the Dal. Shashank ( the only vegetarian) had Dosa and said it was soft and he liked the Sambar too. They follow the eat till you drop, "straight from the pan onto your plate" Dosa system.

The place has a very wide range of nonvegetarian fare. There is everything from Chicken to Fish to Prawns. I was told the Chicken Roast and Pepper chicken are really good. We ordered a Chicken Curry, which looked quite nice. Bharatendu ordered a Chicken Biryani which looked almost like the one I ate at Kovalam.

The fish lovers also have a lot of options, as there is a fish curry, fish fried rice. The fish fry is also there, and the fried Pomfret which Zara got back to the hostel the day before was highly praised. We sadly could not get to eat fish, but there's always a next time.

Lastly, I'd like to talk about my favorite part of the whole dinner. Yes, the much anticipated PRAWNS! They were, to quote Thara, "Dude,The Prawn is orgasmic!". It was cooked in the same was Ammamma makes it back home. I could feel that the prawns here boiled, and then cooked, unlike what happens in most restaurants where they just clean and cook them. Doing this, as Ammamma tells me all the time at home, adds to the taste and softness. I loved the all the spices they were cooked in. TRUE SOUTH INDIAN STYLE! We had them with Parathas, which were very very very soft and very nice. I also saw Prawn Fried Rice, Chilly Prawn, and Dry Prawn Fry in the menu.

The prices are very very cheap. No dish cost above 100 bucks. Though we did hear that some fish costed upto Rs.250 because of its size. Cash or no Cash, this is the place to be, perfect for those mid exam time getaways! So after a tasty dinner coupled with Shashank's Silly Prawn jokes, I'd recommend this place to every 'home missing seafood loving" person in NLU.

Long time, no Sastaas....

True. These days people around me seemed to be losing it, and which resulted in my losing it and doing silly things which ended up hurting everyone I love in NLU. Tangypoison is not about that. It is about spreading love and happiness and joy! I sincerely apologise for all that, and as an apology post here's one full of sastas about everyone.

One day in the library,well actually today, just over an hour ago,

(On Gtalk)

Sneha: Find me a boyfriend, anyone. You know the requirements.

Sukku: No. I asked you to find me a husband before that. Not until then.

Sneha: Ok.Marry SS.

Sukanya ( loud enough for everyone to hear): Who is SS?

Sneha( all embarassed points to a bespectacled guy sitting right opposite Sukanya on the next table).

Yes Sukku , it looks like he did hear it.


Sneha (after her first guitar class): Hey Hey, I had my first lesson!

Sakshi: Oh what did you learn?

Sneha: I learnt three chords A,D,E. But I am holding it right but I am not pressing it hard enough.

Sakshi: Hold what? Press What?

Sneha looks ambushed. Sakshi is officially anointed the Queen of Pervertedness!


Saumya, and Aditi sent a random text from my phone to some random person.

Saumya: Wait till he replies, then we'll have documentary evidence.

Sneha: I'll delete my phone.

(Call it the Rajnikanth effect.)

Alok goes into the viva
And the teacher comes out first. Ala Rajni Kanth.

Pritha: What will Thara be called if he is the son of Dhara Singh?  Thara Singh!
Thara:................................................................. (for once Mr.WiseCrack has nothing to say!)
Goo Chat!

Well here is the most atrocious statement I heard this semester:
Surya to a certain teacher:
Ma'm there are many things I can do with my fingers that I can't tell you about.

20.

For once in my ENTIRE life, I have nothing to say.

Last night was perfect. The people. The jokes. OTR. The food. The drink.The song. The SURPRISE!

It totally caught me off guard, like totally! I still can' believe that now I actually own a guitar! And it's beautiful, the feeling and the guitar too. It's the feeling of getting something which you have wanted since you were a little kid. After many many many years of classical Carnatic music, it's time to do something different! But still Carnatic is still and will remain my first love.

If you thought the night of surprises ended, at 12'o clock, There was a football cake, yeah a Chocolate one looking exactly like a FOOTBALL! OMG! My room was done up with streamers and there were pretty blue balloons, and they put the guitar right on the bed, admist the balloons and infront of my blue wall, it was "Surreal....but nice." Oh yeah, and the card....AWESOME!

If turning 20 is like THAT, whoa! I'd not mind turning 20 everyday for the rest of my life!

Here's a heartfelt thanks to all my friends who made it awesome.

Thanks Zara, Thanks Sakshi, Thanks Saumya, Thanks Aditi, Thanks Geetay, Thanks Dubey,Thanks Kirti, Thanks Nandini,Thanks Foodie, Thanks Pritha, Thanks Nikita, Thanks Ramu, Thanks Sukanya. Thanks Preethi. Thanks Sandeep, Thanks Thara, Thanks Surya. Thanks Bharatendu, Thanks Shashank, Thanks Viru, Thanks Neo, Thanks Pari, Thanks Animesh, Thanks Aparna, Thanks Shreya and Thanks Ikron.

Waking up in the morning today, totally reminded me of my 12th Birthday, where there was confetti all over my room, and I woke up like an Egyptian Princess among all the decorations and the sparkly, shiny bits of paper. I could not have asked for a better last day of being a teen! Absolutely could not have!

19.

Analysis.Appraisal.Check.See.Write down. Inspect. Make Changes.

So what have I done in my 19th year of existence?

When I turned 19 last year, I wished for a miracle. I wanted something to happen to my life that would make me feel much better, make me forget the demons of the past.

I think, someone somewhere must have heard it. Something did happen. Ok. Maybe not a MIRACLE. It did have a profound effect on almost everything I did in college. Maybe I should say several things happened which made me happy.

Bah. December followed September. Got through those killer music exams. Practical was ok. The theory paper was ummm.... Results came out in Jan and Ammamma was the happiest. Thatha got me that Chocolate Ice cream which he generally gets. I came back to College. All was forgotten.

I come back to College. Lex La Liga happens. January was a lot of running around. Amar Sports.Bargain.McD.Burger.Auto.Back. A few times of those coupled with, Ikron fit to play. Ikron Sick. and a little bit of Dissolve or no Dissolve. We finally did play all the matches with the same team.

Come February. It was matches. classes. Tests. Partys. Coming back lates. Making new friends. Basically FUN times.

In April I bid farewell to the only senior in my whole educational career, I really looked upto and wanted to be like.

School closed in May. Planned to sit at home the whole time. Did just that in the holidays.

June was the root discovering trip and the Football WC. What a trip! What a WC. Spain did win. Villa was indeed awesome! The trip made me realise that yeah, I may not have all the family I want, but I do LOVE the family I have. Yes! the big group of boneheads who are exactly like how I am. And who like me exactly like how I am. Big.Clumsy.Retarded.

July came slowly and I found myself in College. As days progressed I was diagnosed with the Mid Life Crisis. 90210.Castle.White Collar. Fringe.Glee happened.

August. Nothing Happened. Mid Life Crisis continued.

That was in short my year. Oh yah Archu came to India, got me a few gifts sadly we did not get to meet.

If this year can be called special, It can be because of all the friends I made. This year was all about reaching out. It was about coming out of that little closet I hid myself in, after the second semester. Thanks Srishti. I don't know who else to thank. And as for the new friends I made I am sure you guys know who you all are. Thanks a bunch! Give yourself a pat on your backs, you deserve it for tolerating all the bullshit that generally happens around me. As for my NLU family, you guys are and will always remain the best, no one ever can replace you.

So much happened. And it's already time to turn 20. Sigh.

Cheers to the last day of me being a teen!

B.I.N

Like all great men he is known to the world by several names. Neo, Nimesh, Jha, Jha Sa, NimSa, etc. Like all great men he leaves his mark wherever he goes. You can like him or you can hate him, but, You cannot ignore him.

Neo gives life to his presentations. They are mere reflections of his highly celebrated personality.

Most people clean their rooms when they get back after the summers, not our Neo, he just shifts his saman into the nearest room he can find. Trust me.True Story.

You ask Neo his height and he says, "I am 6..5'6". Yeah, like Bond, James Bond. Only Neo is better.

Neo added life, colour, spice to our Pushkar trip. We just reached Pushkar, we were trying to find the Hotel.

Divya ( From inside the car): Bhaiyya! Punch Kula Road Kaha hain?

Neo( Inside the car): Bhaiyya! Bhaiyya! Laddoo kitne mein denge?

The world may be going to pieces, but Neo does this own thing! We decided to do things the Neo way this trip, and what a trip it turned out to be!

Only Neo can come up with words like "Chinese Nigger", and "Thai Nigger".Oh yeah, or Hyderabadi Biryani!  He is like the next Salman Khan  of India. In Little Italy he takes his shirt off, in the middle of lunch. He is said to have the third best body in college after Digvijay and Anshuman Bhaiyya!

When asked why he does what he does, Neo had this to say, " I like to make people laugh by doing shitty things".

He is a man of great tolerance, only he could have tolerated that one class every one else bunked. We all know the class and the time. He can come up with and excel at innovative games like, "Translate the hindi song into english and sing along!" Who can forget "Rock your body"!

Neo is a man of his word, when he says he will do something, he will do it. Like the time in Pushkar when he waddled through the rain water, and actually got the car. When we reached the hotel finally, he was heard saying this to himself, "Yes, I did it!". Yes, in the superhero style.

He is a man who had some great experiences in his life, yes I am talking about his other, hugely controversial trip to Pushkar, in a "tourist Taxi". Neo made friends in Pushkar too, like he "knows" the people in Cafe Enigma.

Neo was looking a little out of color one night in Pushkar,

Shashank- Are you ok?

Neo- I am not sure.

Shashank- Do you feel pukish?

Neo- No.

Shashank- Do u feel like vomiting?

Neo- No.

Sneha- Do you feel nauseated?

Neo- Yes.

That's our boy.

Neo empties the sugar bowl into his fruit porridge, and adds honey to it all and says, "Too sweet!". Neo has chocolate porridge for lunch. He is definitely credited for the discovery of the BHAGSU cake, which has now honorarily been named the NIMSA cake, after Neo.

If he chooses to take it Neo has a great career in advertising. He can come up with taglines like,
"No free French Fries, and say yes to Social responsibility".

His highly creative style of posing for photos can also make him the next hottest thing on the runways of Europe.

Neo has a unique style of playing CS. That's Counter Strike for all those bozos out there. He hides, and hides till everyone is dead and then goes around killing people. People are baffled at his talent to find new places to hide, in that same dust2 map!

Neo makes the world more colorful. Neo makes the earth go round. Neo completes our class.

Here's a trivia question,
What does Bin in Osama Bin Laden stand for?

Osama Believes in Nimesh Laden.

As the title of the post says, We Believe in Nimesh.
 Do you?

By:
G BIN Sneha BIN Sindhu

With much valued inputs from:
Zonun BIN Thara
Bharatendu BIN Agarwal a.k.a Yo BIN Daddy
Shashank BIN Amarnath
Divya BIN Sood.

and the man himself, Nimesh Jha. Respect.

Happy.Satisfied.Content.

In another parallel universe she is a long haired musician. She sings songs about the world at large, and the things dear to her. She sings for herself, she sings for the world, she sings when she is happy, and she sings when she is sad. In that same parallel universe, she drives a Candy Blue Beetle. She lives in the free spirited London of the 70's. The London where there is great music, good food, and people from all around. It was the place to be. It was the time when London became the Paris of the world.Oh yeah, and the fashion too.

Most evenings, she used to take long walks along the Thames to get away from those horrible power cuts. She used the time to come up with new music, strumming her guitar and singing to herself. London shined in the moon light too, as the plethora of night clubs lit up the city by night. She sang at the 'Red Moon', 3 nights a week. Those were the nights she looked forward to, it was when she met the hippies, the free thinkers, the intellectuals and Americans.

Every Friday she used to take the 2'o clock to Surrey to spend the weekends with her parents, and to simply get away from the busy London life.

In this universe she is a wavy haired law student, living 2000 miles away from home. She leaves home every January and goes back home in May. Then she leaves home every July and gets back in December. She is still unsure if the path that she has chosen for herself, many years ago, is the one that is right for her. Her life is caught between the fast paced big life of her city, and the slow life of the town she studies.

In a way, her university is like the London of the 70's, diverse people and diverse ideas. She writes when she is happy and she writes when she is sad. She writes about herself and about the world too. Unlike the London girl this one has hopes, fears and dreams. Dreams which she hopes will come true. She knows they will, like a few of them already have.

She is no guitar strumming, Thames walking musician but she sings too. Music makes her happy. She wants to learn the guitar and hopes that someday she will.

In many ways both the girls are alike, in many way they are different. In the parallel universe the Londoner does not have the plethora of friends the law student has. In the real universe the law student may not have all the family she wants but she loves the family she has. She may not get all the time to spend with her family but she makes the most of the time she does spend with them. The law student loves her friends. They are what she values the most. They make her world go round.

She may not live in London, she may not drive a Beetle, she may not know how to play the guitar, her life may not be perfect, but the girl in the real world is happy. Content. Satisfied.

Restaurant Review: Shivam Rooftop Restaurant

 The other day I was reading a food blog, and I figured, since I love food and writing I might as well just write a post about a restaurant. So one fine Friday evening Nidhi and I took the college bus to check out Shivam. This is my first attempt at something like this, so hope you enjoy it.

In old Jodhpur, near the Ghanta Ghar area, a few metres away from the famous Omelet,down a little winding is Shivam Paying Guest House. Look carefully, or you might just miss the place. There is a glass door welcoming you in. As you walk in you can't help notice the quaint yet warm atmosphere of the place. Your eyes invariably fall on that little board which says "Shivam Rooftop Restaurant, 4th and 5th Floor".

The climb up the four floors is a little hard, thanks to the huge steps and the low ceiling, tall ones out there "WATCH OUT!". Once there the view of Mehrangarh is amazing! You can also see a wide range of places from there including the Clock Tower, and also Umaid Palace. 

The best thing about the place was it was all done up in blue and had a very very holiday atmosphere. 

The menu is vegetarian, but has a lot of variety. We ordered Coffee. It was 'tres magnificient'. They gave it in a white mug with a blue design on it! The only other thing we ate were Nutella Pancakes. They were good, could have been better.Nidhi had Nutella Banana Pancakes, and from the look on her face, it was pretty obvious she Loved em.

  

The best part of the menu certainly looked like the breakfast. They have a continental breafast, which consists of Tea\Coffee, Egg to order, Butter toast and Banana Pancake. They had a wide range of Pancakes from chocolate to blueberry to banana. Their Italian is supposed to be quite good.

I would suggest this place for breakfast simply because of the sheer variety of things like Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich, and Muesli with fruit. I can also imagine watching the sunrise, sipping that coffee or eating a poached egg can only be treat to both your mouth and your eyes!

The staff are very friendly and this seems to be a favorite haunt of 'firangs'. The pricing is very very cheap, and the whole experience is very pleasant. Finding the place can be a little tricky but once you find it it's worth a try.

I ll be back once I find more to write about! Ciao :)