5-fast facts!!!

Five Things...small-big, noticeable-unnoticeable, after coming here, besides other important things:
1) Five things that I learned to use:

Blackberry-Bluetooth, GPS, Microwave oven, US style washing and drying machines and swipe a card for a travel in train/bus for local transportation besides many other things :)

2)Five states I saw:
Illinois, California, Pennsylvania, Indiana,Newyork (can say.. :p)

3)Five shopping malls that I hop a lot:
Macy’s, Kohl,Old Navy, JC Penny, Walmart

4) Five tings I learnt to adjust with:
French vanilla Coffee (7/11), Chai Tea Latte (Starbucks) , Doughnuts, Taqcuitoes, Cheetos

5)Five phrases/ words that I have started using often :
Dude
Gas station
Desi/ABCD/Amru/Makku/Chinki :)
Fish

Dollars/Dimes/Cents.. ofcourse :)

Enough right?..there would be many more such things that I would go on..and on..

But..but the things that I miss here….are ”innumerable” … :)

Faces and places …

Hooosh…yet another submission! Masters is, trust me, one tiring job…
The assignments, projects, submissions, mid-terms, presentations, then research work…everything ties you up so much...keeps u on your toes...all the time…!!As far as my memory allows me to go back ,in the past one year, I am always answering almost every call with a “I have a submission in some time..will definitely call u back..“
My sincere apologies for the same :)
I guess this is one real patience testing of all the near and dear ones, the family and frnds..
I feel extremely sorry about it, but guess cant help …probably the only easy solution is finishing off my masters ASAP :)

Its almost a lil over two months wd my new job as a research assistant…
And it’s been dreadfully hectic probably from day 1…
It’s just in the middle of waiting for some simulation run to get over that I suddenly turn around and look back only to realize the “getting used to” feeling of once all new faces…
How P,B,R,K,M,G who once surrounded my cube have suddenly replaced by Li, Feng, Min Soo, Hiacheng, Yu-chi, Wei (yeah, enough of flaunting remembering names.. ;)) …

And leaves a stirred feeling somewhere…
The usual coffee breaks, carom and Table Tennis, breakfast-lunch-snack routine is now completely replaced by coffee-at-desk, lunch-at-desk …where work was fun…
Where your not saying anything was enough for others to understand you has replaced by me looking into faces…staring at them...trying to figure out the words they are trying to say…break them up- try to form a sentence and derive some logical sense out of it.. Arrgh!! Nevermind..this is a very normal and healthy communication! Shoosh..

There’s no zing in the dip-dip tea anymore…that extra tea bag wont serve any better…

Yes I know it takes some time to get used to a new place, new schedule, new routine, new life..and if you ask me , its pretty easy…Infact what I have realized is that its easy in the beginning coz you are all set to explore new horizons, dive into new oceans of unpredictability, and the fact that moving into a new place keeps you so busy wd the first few days.. You end up having a feeling more of exertion and exhaustion …In the course of overcoming all the initial problems..You never realize how easily you blend with the new environment, routine, people …! But suddenly, at times, for no reason, you realize that you are amidst aliens...Or probably you yourself are an alien here...
But however hard you try, to try to adjust with new faces, you tend to miss those comfort giver faces…even more… with tons of sweet memories attached to every face...

I am unwillingly putting an end to this post before I take off yet another “free flight” to India …:p coz today I want to catch up with my long yearned sleep !!!!

Fall...

Everything is bloody silent…..The place seems as a no man's land…Sudden drop in temperatures and fall break would be the reason probably…. The only thing disturbing this non perturbing death silence was the crushing of leaves underneath my feet....yeah, it’s Fall and hence the place is completely laden with leaves..
Something’s so awfully weird with this Fall …everything is so colorful…yet not lively. Probably coz its cloudy most of the times…
Its probably the most beautiful season …as they say…entire tree wearing a colorful garb and then all of them making oh so lovely combinations and patterns as if dressed up for a party …but no…to me they all seemed dreadful…yeah , maybe tats the word and tats how I felt.. Everything’s silent…and not the silence tat is peaceful, or serene or even melodious…silence as if in a relationship..Not the one where everythingz conveyed without words, but the one in which there’s nothing much left to talk…dreadful!!!
I felt as if all the trees know that this beauty of their's is ephemeral and would soon fade away…its going to be short-lived… maybe they felt like the soldiers fighting a lost battle waiting for losing their lives…
They all are shedding their leaves …one by one…giving away to winters..
Where everything would be soon frozen…colors and time…literally…
I walk slowly so as not to disturb the silence looking at a worn out leaf twisting, swirling gently with the breeze on its way to reunite with the others...let me catch it and bookmark it forever .. After all it’s my first Fall!!

Flying High

Strangely , I saw a bird flying in the sky …
Strange because it was raining…and extremely chilly..
even before the sunset it was unusually dark…
Standing at my window side, I watched it flying..

I wish I could talk with it..and know what was wrong…

Maybe, t’was in search of shelter or food ..
Maybe lost its way back home…
Maybe in search of a lost loved one…

Or maybe was it just the rains that made me so sulky

Maybe it was out to enjoy the rains….
Maybe to get wet and drenched…
Maybe celebrating life !
Or maybe it had just realized the strength of its wings…

Nevermind… !

Cuddling in my cozy bed I thought to myself..
Whatever it be… It was brave hearted…
Coz, it definitely needs courage to fly alone, in the rains….

I wonder...

On my way to school today , I met a squirrel….
A lil on the heavier side,

it looked at me and ran hastily…

Busy searching food…it winked at me
So tiny yet so brave…

I met a rabbit two steps ahead…
Seeing me , it hid behind the bush.. busy biting a “plum”
I stood there still to watch it yet again,

And slowly it peeped out as if to check me out..

So timid, yet so independent…

I smiled and moved ahead…
Then I saw a butterfly…

yellow colored sitting on the yellow flower..
I thought maybe even they "match" these days..

Now I am sure it noticed me , coz it flew n sat on the other flower..
So beautiful, yet so pure..

I crossed the road and then I saw..
So many vehicles with honking horns,

signal posts, and pollution around..
I wondered whteher it’s the same world?

A street across..
Yes it was…the same , yet so different…!!

The Road Less Traveled

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood,

and I—I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

-Robert Frost

Yes,unfortunately, it still happens!!

It was raining heavily outside. Inside, the clk was ticking slowly…very slowly….second by second .Everything seemed so unbearable, as if its never gonna end..After slogging whole night yesterday, I dint see this coming…I was feeling numb…yet I kept telling myself that this will also pass….hold on…somehow!! At times, things are so unperceivable, however hard you try…I was trying hard, to concentrate on the rains outside… but that made the feeling inside still worse..
Some words…as if from some far off place kept falling on my dumb ears.. …..
Finally, the clock struck 5.30 pm…and the whole day ka (supposedly 9 to 4.30) lecture got over and instantly I became normal…suddenly every thing got back life :) !!