I am going home....

again !!!!! Eight months after returning from my previous trip to dear motherland. People here joke that I should get a season ticket. Hehe, maybe I should, because clearly my heart is not here and I am always looking for a reason to go. I advanced my earlier planned March trip , so that I can be a part of Aansans wedding, meet Kabu who also comes down during Christmas, play with Dhaani and I dont have to miss the other usual suspects for three more months. I hope the trip is gonna be as awesome as the last time. And I really hope this time Dad will understand when I have to leave home to meet my friends. The idea of arguing with him again is the only disturbing thought in my head now. It can be really difficult to make him understand the importance of just having fun, why I go to the people who I have good times with, and how it does not mean that I love my family any lesser. All the sacrifices, all the efforts I take to see Dad and Mom happy, and still they are insecure. Its a pity they dont see the love. Anyway, I am off to have a good time, to spend time with my favourite people, to hog away to glory, and away from the depressing winter to enjoy the warmth. The toughest part, shopping is almost done. Hope to bring lots of smiles with the things I have got for my people, and hope to have lots to write about at the end of it all.

A date with Roger

I have been a huge Roger Federer fan for a long time now. And watching him play has always been a mixture of proud and extremely tense moments. I need not go on here about his brilliance on court, and how much I love him or how much I get riled up when one of those Nadal rivalry debates comes up. It has always been a dream to watch him play, and it came true on Monday, 1st of November 2010, at the Davidoff Swiss Indoors in Basel.

The match was a no contest, but watching the greatest in front of me there was an indescribable feeling. And I had my new zoom lens to capture some of those moments.





The journey between Munich and Basel, both ways, was quite remarkable. Just because I managed to save a lot of money by utilizing the Mitfahr(rideshare) system well. So well that I paid just 2€ to get to Basel. And I am very proud of the decisions I took on my way back. Instead of a single state ticket, I took a gamble. I paid an extra 8€ and bought a group ticket for 5 people. And though I couldnt find anyone to share the ticket till the last stop in Baden-Wuttenberg ( Ulm ), I sold the ticket there for 10€ and found another person to give me 5€ for using the ticket to Stuttgart. And then I found a car ride share for 7€, but then I thought, why dont I check if I can buy used bayern tickets from people who get off at Ulm. And I did just that. I paid 10€, and bought a bayern ticket from a group ( who were happy to make some money off their now useless ticket). And then I went to the machines, and asked a female who was gonna buy a 20€ ticket to Munich. She paid me 10 bucks, and was happy with the deal, and I was gonna travel from Ulm to Munich without paying a penny.

I must say I am damn proud of the way I exploited the system to save a lot of cash, and did most of this by speaking in German. Also, what can be taken from this is that anyone, EVEN Germans, wouldnt say no to a bargain.

And the couchsurfing experience was amazing too. Stephanie was damn friendly, she took me around the Winter markets, where she told me to have Raclette, a yum cheese dish. Too bad I missed fondue, but a few more local food I tried, and I was telling myself, 'this is what travel is all about'. I was with a very nice, good-looking Swiss girl, talking about all the cultures we are involved with, trying local food, walking around the city , laughing and thoroughly enjoying myself. I was very impressed by her travel profile and the pics on her wall. Now I have added a few more places to my to-go-to-list. And I need to take prints. Wall, make space !!

and just like that its over

Today two of my best friends announced that they are breaking up. They were the ones in love who ,the rest of us were sure, would spend their lives together. We had even talked about what we would wear for their wedding, about the kids they will have and how we would all fit into the scheme of things. I have lived with them for two years and yeah, they had problems, but never did we imagine that one day the problems would become bigger than each other. Now, years after when they should have sorted things out during the nascent stages, they have drifted way too far apart, and fallen out of love with each other.

Suddenly the entire people picture becomes unclear again. Are we all going to drift away? What happens to the future we saw together? I dont want these shattered dreams to mean that our parents were right, we youngsters dont know what we are doing, friends dont mean a thing blah blah.

Today, all the relationships that were part of 'the best times ever' have completely come to an end. It is a sad day for love. I want to give love a chance, but the turn of events one after the other is such that, I am given more reason to believe in the non-existence of everlasting love. Sadly, these events involve my best friends, and me too.

I wish.....

Is the statement 'Follow your heart' a cliche. I think it is when it involves a career choice. And most of the time, it means 'Quit that mundane thing that you are doing now, and pursue your dreams'. Its no small task finding something that will give you unbounded motivation, that one thing that you would want to concentrate all your energy and time now. And the risk involved may not be something you are ready to take.

Steve Jobs' speech is stuck in my head. He found that one thing that he always wanted to do. I dont know where to look for my 'Apple'. I know for sure the things that I am most passionate about. I have this picture of my world in which I will be very happy. In this world, I have a good job, in which I am working on my crazy idea, and which pays for my travels around the world. I chill out by swimming or playing tennis and football in the club attached to my high rise apartment complex. My passion is playing music with my band. And of course my loving caring missus will be my partner in travel, games and long drives, and also lead singer of the band. Everyone in the family is nearby and well-settled. Old friends are around for the laughs. And I have time devoted to working for the underprivileged.

This is a vision, a plan. I dont think its an unrealistic dream or fantasy ( maybe the lead singer bit is pushing it). Looks like a good life. For now, I should work on my guitar, and gather enough knowledge so that the crazy idea can hit me. And in hindsight many good choices I have made in the past with respect to work, relationships, things I have bought, all have had some element of 'Follow your heart'. Maybe it is not a cliche after all.

Like Steve Jobs said, 'you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.' Heres to the dots connecting, like it always has. Amen.

Nam

Nam is down with Hepatitis, and in the hospital. And I couldnt feel sadder and more helpless. It is such a shame that someone you care the most for is so far away that you cannot be there for her when she needs it the most. I hope she gets healthy real quick, and maybe the flowers I sent will make her feel better. She has people to take care of her, so I shouldnt worry. But I am my dad's son, and worrying for others comes naturally to me. Now I have to wait for her sms, to know how she is. This so sucks.

I dont know how I got to this point, where someone else's life becomes top priority. When you dream of fulfiling someone else's dreams. When you want to know everything that happens in someone else's day. This cannot be undone, and with my 'attachment problem' , I dont know if I should have controlled these feelings much earlier. Maybe it happened as a result of trying to detach myself from V. And Boom, we have a new problem. Being the stuck-up ass that I am, I cannot commit myself fully to the present life here.

Would it have been much different, if I hadnt got close to her? Would I have been happier? Would I have found a best friend here? These questions will remain unanswered I feel. But its been one year in Munich, and one year since I actually became her friend. And its been an amazing story of bonding, fun and fondness. I think it will be very difficult to maintain this state of our relationship, but whatever happens tomorrow, I will look back at the past year and think of her and smile. She was there when I needed to talk and laugh, and I found someone to care for, to talk to in my head when I didnt want to say a word. All the good times on Skype, in India and hopefully there will be more. I didnt feel the need to look for that special person here. Why would anybody want to, when someone says that you are her bestest friend. I wish I could remain her bestest friend. The distance is a pity, but maybe we wouldnt have been what we are had we been in a position where we would meet everyday. Maybe the charm wouldnt have lasted. Maybe her Gemini fickleness would have taken over by now.

Beats me why I am writing all this, as I had decided that I dont want this to be let out of my head. But I think I could read this , when one day I need to be reminded of how happy I felt having her in my life, or how sad I was when I wanted to be with her, but just could not do anything about it. Because one day when new people become my life, I dont want to forget who brightened my day sometime back and why I had a reason to smile.

Get well soon Nam.

Bon Journo Italia

A trip to Italy was on the cards for a long time. There were so many things about the country that fascinated me, that Italy was where I wanted to go on a long vacation. Ok it was not going to be the luxurious relaxing vacation, but more of a backpacking budget adventure.

Things started out on a rather sour note with Farid forgetting his passport and missing the flight, and then the train that we planned to catch to Venice being cancelled due to strike. Delayed or cancelled trains are common in Italy, impossible to find in Germany. The contrast between the Germans and Italians became pretty clear by the end of the trip. If anyone talks about hot Italians, I will tell them Germans are definitely better looking. Maybe not in your face sexier, but taller, simpler and prettier. The people there were rough and loud, Germans being so much more polite and polished.

Pisa is a tiny place, with nothing more than the complex with the Leaning tower. Yet another city with a river running through it and lots of bridges built across it. We had our last gelato by the river on the last night.

We had to go to Florence, to find another train to Venice. We had 2 hours, and I had this panaromic image of Florence in my head, that I wanted to capture. I didnt know what the place from where you get the view was called. I went up to a guy with an SLR who looked like a tourist, and explained what I was looking for, and voila, he said Piazza Michaelangelo and we set off. We reached there a little before sunset and this snap is the best of the 50 or so I clicked. This was all I wanted from Florence, and I got it because of the cancelled train. The silver lining.

Venice, the floating city, was extremely pretty. I loved it more at night, with all the crowds gone and with 'Wish you were here' on repeat in my head. The place was unique with the vaporettos (water taxis), gondolas and the narrow water streets running along the old colourful buildings. I went to a beach after months. Also memorable was the final boat ride we took in the evening, to take us wherever it went. The sunset and the clouds were magnificent, and my camera was happy.

Next stop, Milan. I was there for one reason. The reason why any football fan would go to Milan. The San Siro. Toured the museum and the stadium, but sadly had flight tickets to Rome booked and couldnt stay for the match that night. Nonetheless, I was delighted to be at one of the most important footballing destinations in the world. And I picked up a gold plated coin with the Stadium on it.

We flew to Rome that evening. Thank God for Ryanair and its incredibly cheap flights. Lots of time and money saved. What was really funny was the prerecorded victory music played on landing. Anyway, reached Rome Ciampino airport, which was not too far from the centre unlike the Munich(memmingen) airport. The metro in Rome was really shabby, though the graffiti on the trains was pretty cool. We checked into Sweet Hostel and the nicelooking girl at the reception asked us to join for a dinner party at a club tat night. Sounded cool to me, like a chance to check out Rome nightlife, but Farid wasnt interested. Bloody hell !!! So we went to the Collosseum , which was a 10 minute walk from the hostel. There I was, next to the most impressive historical structure, thinking about Maximus in Gladiator. It was mindblowing. I put the camera on the platform, from where I could capture the whole building. Lots of shots later, after repeated adjustments to my tripod ( a combination of wallet, lens cover and handkerchief ), I got the perfect photo, with a 20 second exposure. The lost chance to party was already out of my head. Then we headed of on a crazy tour, tring to find a place to eat. Farid would just not settle for a place, he had some dish in mind which was nowhere to be found. We finally got into one place, had pasta, which tasted just ordinary. Then, with the long awaiting us, went to sleep kinda early.


The next morning we picked up a Roma pass, which was probably the only the mistake we made. We headed to the Vatican and reached the magnificent St. Peters square. Then we saw the St. Peters Basilica and the Vatican Museums. Actually I felt quite bored staring at all the art in the endless Museums. And it didnt make too much sense, because we didnt get a guide. We left the Vatican and headed towards our camp, Fabulous Camping. It was outside Rome, and our room was a nice little place, not bigger than 100 square feet, with 3 beds and a loo. It really was fabulous. Just that it wasnt close to the beach as I had thought. The sun had already set, but I had made my mind to hit the beach come what may. So we took a bus in the direction of the beach, with Ketan worried how we would get back. And we did get back, but not before finally reaching the (tiny) beach, listening to the sounds of the moonlight illuminated ocean, and staring into emptiness. Bliss.

The next day we headed to the Ancient Centre. This time I joined a guided tour, and was transported back in time. We went inside the Colloseum, walked up to the Palatine Hill, where lay the castles of Roman emperors, and went to the amazing amazing Roman forum, and imagined being in the age of the Caesars. The guide did an awesome job of explaining the history behind all that we could see, and I was extremely impressed by the stories and the structures. Then we went to the Pantheon, with the spectacular opening in the dome, and then the Trevi Fountain. The Trevi was so beautiful I couldnt stop clicking photos of it, till I got the perfect results. And before I left, I dropped a coin into the water which, according to Roman tradition, means I will return to Rome. Now that really wouldnt be surprising, as I was totally mindblown by the Eternal city. That day, Rome made it to my favourite cities list.

(to be continued)

The good life

Watched a nice video called 'Meaning of life'. I dont know why it was called that, but it had a list of guidelines on how to live.

Follow your heart.
Find a new perspective
Have a sense of wonder
Find people you love
Set goals
Help others
Dance
Pamper yourself
Face your fears
Exercise
Limit television
Get in touch with nature
Lighten up
Get a good nights sleep
Read books
Dont compare yourself with others
Be open to new ideas
Dont focus on negative thoughts
Focus on creating what u desire
Make time just to have fun
Keep the romance in your life
Make a gratitude list
Want what you have
Be true to yourself

I have a few more to add to this

Be nice.
Have a hobby.
Dont give a chance for regret.
Give.

Looks like I am not doing too bad if this is all that I need to follow. Some things I need to work on :
Pamper yourself
Read books
Dont focus on negative thoughts
Make a gratitude list

Epiphany

- a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.


I dont want to go down the miserable blogging route, so I dont want to ramble too much on this. I came across this word today, and incidentally over the past week I feel that I am converging to the solution to the problem 'What after your masters?'. Kabu is considering a PhD, and that has got me thinking. Not to do a PhD, but about what I want to do after I finish my masters. Unlike Kabu, I dont have any hots for the academics and I fancy industry more. But the more important question is whether I want to head back home or not. I have realized that I dont want to be in a place where going to a cinema hall, eating out or driving a car is a luxury. I dont want to talk about life's little pleasures in the past or future tense. And I havent even started talking abt the people I love back there. But I dont know if friends would still be around. The scene is completely different now. But family would be so much happier with me around. And Im not gonna be sitting on a goldmine here either. I have had so much fun during my 3 years in Bangalore, that the place is drawing me towards it. I think I will find joy there, no matter what. Which means I have lesser time to see Europe. More frequent trips. Sounds exciting.

Schloss Nymphemburg

 

I love this photo, something eerie yet surreal about it.

Kindly, happily, lovingly....

Yesterday two things happened that has not left my mind. Both completely different, but both very beautiful. I was leaving the counter after paying for the daily supplies in Lidl, when the person in front of me, who was packing his items, dropped a bottle of nescafe. Before he could finish cursing himself, the cashier ( who was pretty, which goes without saying from here on ), rushed to the spot and cleared the glass pieces and the coffee. And in a jiffy, she went to the coffee section and brought back a new jar of Nescafe, and handed it to the 'now relieved and much happier' man. This was an example of the kindness and politeness of the people here, and though we are used to this now, Ketan and I couldnt resist discussing how the situation would have unfolded if the same thing had happened in India. The greetings to strangers when you enter or leave lifts, the pleasant smiles and sweet 'Halo', 'Bitte schön' or 'Schön Abend' s , always brightens my mood, and is something really remarkable about this place.

The second incident involved a couple, who were fighting in the U-Bahn station. The guy was very loud, and though I didnt understand anything, it was clear that they were having a heated argument. They get into the same compartment as mine, take their places, but dont utter a word. They get off at the next station, and the guy puts his hand forward towards her. She pauses for a second, then holds his hand and they smile. And I couldnt help smiling either. Sometimes I dont understand love, but for me, what I saw, was just lovely.

There is no room for any negative thoughts here. There is too much love and happiness in the air. This space will concentrate on 'feel good' thoughts. I feel very happy nowadays. I think it is because of the summer, and the sunshine, hotness ( pun intended ) , beautiful people (including my friends) and all the games I am playing. Time to change the background color.

Lets try this again...

Its been real long since I wrote my introduction blog. It still seems a little out of my league to sit down and pen my thoughts. I was just reading a good friends blog, and wondered to myself, 'Why dont I do this more often?'. I mean write, not read. Sometimes I feel that my mind is so fucked up, that there is no way I can let others have a sneak peek into it. What the hell, I am going to do this.

It has been an eventful period since touchdown Deutchland. Leaving my people behind and coming to this distant land sure did affect me. And before I left I thought I wasnt going to feel the pinch, as I dont fancy people anyway. I took some time to feel in place and come to grips with what I have lost. I wasted a lot of time thinking the 'What if' scenarios. I hate that confused state and I needed to tell myself that the decision cannot be reversed. I think as of now I am pretty content with where I stand, and though I have spent a lot of time overthinking, I have also ensured that I do not let go of the opportunities I came here for. Moreover, I have a lot of things to look forward to , so the future looks bright.

I have improved my swimming have become more comfortable with the water. I have been playing a lot of football, tennis, badminton, and cricket. I have always enjoyed sport more than anything else, and playing always frees me from all thoughts. Something I didnt get enough of in Bangalore, and tennis for an hour a week just wasnt enough.

I have found so much time for my guitar. Its incredible how playing music just lifts me. And I am very glad that I am making great progress with my music. Barre chords dont intimidate me anymore.

Now what I have actually come here for. My higher education. Must say much knowledge has been gained. And I have performed pretty well in my exams without sacrificing too much. If only I could concentrate better in class. Nonetheless, this area is being taken care of, without too much trouble. And Ive picked up the German language basics too. Fun.

Travel - main motivation to come to Europe, has been so far so good. Salzburg, Prague, Schwarzwald have been covered. Much more is to come, and is something I really am looking forward to. Now its double the fun with my new found passion for photography and my new DSLR.

Passion for sports, music and travel is undying for me, wherever I am. But the fickleness, the confusion is always with people, with relationships. Who do you really miss, who do you really love, who do you want around you and whose being there or not there makes a difference. I wish I could love everyone more or less equally, I wish I didnt hate some people for no real fault of theirs. Sometimes I wish I could disconnect myself from all emotions, all attachments. Sometimes I crave for those conversations, those words of love, friendship to make my day. Am I really heartless ( which is what I want to be) or is it a cloak that I hide in?

All these are excerpts from the talk inside my head. BS. What is important is that the people who matter the most to me, are all thousands of miles away, but are still around and still very close to me. All this time away, has helped me learn more about myself than anything else. And Im in a place where most people would dream to come to. I couldnt have asked for better roommates, my partners in some-serious-some-nonsense-talk, play, food and study. If it wasnt for them, I can see myself going down the loner route. Moreover, with all the above mentioned things going for me, there are enough reasons to be happy. The philosophy to go by is - People will come and go, so will money, so make best use of the time you have where you are. I think Im on the right track.