"Excuse me.....Where am I?"

I think I've mentioned that I'm learning to drive. I'm doing well, thank you very much! As long as I have my navigator (read that as Ash) beside me.
"Right or left?" I keep asking him at every signal...and he booms out "We take this route everyday...can't you figure it out?"
So I'm not a map-finder...yes, I shamelessly fall back on that cliche. The system of numbered roads and a gridded network baffle me. Back home, we went by landmarks and names as opposed to exits and numerals. I mean, would u recall a "Cathedral road" or "SR 200" ?
The thought of driving in a highway and figuring out where I'm going seems terrifying to me. The numbers seem to slide off my head within a few seconds. The loops, turns, this-a-ways and that-a-ways are a wee bit too much. And MapQuest with its mixed up directions doesn't help.
The most agonizing part is the fact that you CANNOT stop and ask for directions. Next time you people back home swear at an unruly pedestrian, or complain of crazy cyclists...remember that these very people can point out the right way at times of distress. Ah!! The grass is always greener....

Marketing for the numbed

Its like everybody is out to con you. They say its free and it is; only that to use it you have to pay. They say its on sale and it is; only that it works out just as expensive anyways. Everybody is marketing, Everybody is selling and they push and prod until out of sheer exhaustion you buy.

But a daily commuting, fast food consuming urban dweller develops a partial immunity for this kind of advertising. I say partial because he is already caught in the vicious cycle. The immunity causes his eyes to glaze instantly when commercials that lurk behind talk shows and sitcoms spring out in action. And the promotions on the radio are given the same importance as the hum of the microwave. You get the picture.

What is appalling is the sheer quantity you have to block to preserve your sanity and your bank balance. Thats when you want to leave all the trappings of a capitalist society behind and decide to tread into the wilderness...and what do you know, it follows you there too..."Oh, is your tent branded?" "I'm sorry, this fishing area is reserved for the Platinum members!!"

Sometimes I feel, this culture of hounding/marketing and over advertising is eating into the soul of society. I wonder if there is a way out? I wonder if the corporate biggies can churn out a healthier alternate?

Sunbathing in Rainbow Springs

We went canoing yesterday down Rainbow springs and we found Mr. Turtle taking a nap on a tree trunk, soaking in the sun.....and pow!!! I shot him...take a peek!

Fragments of rain thought

Someone once told me that the rain makes the world look like a watercolor. The hues wet and blurry and the tones, soft.

The rain makes me quiet. Its a beautiful melancholy that washes my mind and a strange emotion that I can't quite name, fills me. Wisps of thought float along- sometimes coherent and sometimes not.

And today, as I watch the rain dance on my patio, bursting into tiny explosions as it touches the ground....i go into this trance.

Subtle water, strong water...water so hypnotic and yet so mild. Life-giving water that will someday destroy the world.

Identity Crisis

When i blog, i picture myself talking to someone....and each time i blog, that someone varies. And thats why its happened. The identity crisis, i mean. My blog doesnt know who its talking to...each post sports a new mood, accent and style. Catered for a different set. Just like me. I change to suit the audience...hell, I change to suit my fancy. Just for fun...its like I get bored if I'm the same me for too long.
So if you read something you really relate to...its meant for you :)

p.s: the last one was jus an experiment with youtube...getting the hang of things!!:D

Are you scared of teeny fish?

Ice fishing is more dangerous than you think....

Why I cant ride a bicycle

Its not completely true...that I can't ride a bicycle, i mean. When i was around seven, I used zip around the apartment terrace in shiny red cycle. We- my friends and I- used to blow mist into the chilly air as sped along chasing one another, circling around the ventilation ducts. The pride of being the fastest (never mind the oldest :D) is quite heady, let me tell you. Yes, I could ride a bicycle.

Then some know-it-all kid at school popped my bubble. "Riding with safety wheels doesn't count!!!" " Really? Says who?" "Says me and I'm taller!!!" Ok..he had a point. And I had to admit defeat...I couldn't ride a bicycle......yet!

With this new found revelation of my naivete and a couple of bruises (You guessed it...i tried to ride without my extra set of wheels), I asked my cousin to teach me the art in the propah way.

Oh! what fun!!! I would sit on the bicycle and pedal slowly as he gave me stern instructions and a whole lot of encouragement. I would smile loftily at my mum, perched on the verandah seat. And holler at my other cousins who tried to get in the way asking for a turn.

And then he let go. Woooooops! End of fun. I crashed into a lily shrub (Poor shrub!! No more lilies for you) I think I cleared out about half the plants in my grandparents' garden by the end of that summer vacation. Oh and there were scratches, bruises and some more scratches all over me....and sadly, him as well.

Well, all was not in vain for there was vast improvement. I was steadier than before and could drive on our street. I could cycle steadily for about five minutes as long as nothing made me nervous. Like dogs, people in the way, other vehicles in the vicinity or an approaching turn. Thats when I would close my eyes. And then I would either crash into my already bruised and battered cousin or into a street lamp. As he did not pose an electric hazard, I felt my cousin the safer option.

And then he gave up....just like that!!! Without rhyme or reason, threw his bruised purple hands in the air and walked away. Or rather limped away. I crushed his little toe when i was trying to maneuver a tricky turn. Whatever happened to cousinly love?

That was the tragic end of my childhood cycling lessons. The next time I attempted to ride was when I was around 20 and in an expedition to Auroville. Auroville- international city, land of experiments and dreams, mud roads and complete absence of streetlights and signages...It had to be Auroville!

If you haven't been to Auroville, I'll let you know that there is no public transport. You could rent two wheelers and navigate through the dusty spiraling roads. And thats what my friends and I chose to do. All of them opted for mopeds or scooties and I settled for...guess what? A bicycle!!

To my surprise, I managed to ride back to our dorm. I was wobbly but I could ride. The next afternoon we planned a trip to the matr-mandir (the huge sphere at the eye of the spiraling roads). I rode. Wobble, ride, wobble, ride...when something in the way moves, stop the cycle. Its a simple enough process if you get used to it. My confidence rose and on the way back, it was smooth sailing until i lost my balance and drove right into a thorn bush!!! Need I say more?
No more cycles please....I've given it up for the good. Mine and humanity in general!!!

But I am learning to drive!