Back Home.. At last!

My heart aches at the sight of my dwindling readership as can be evidently seen from google-analytics. I sincerely thank the people who kept lingering around for something new and did not let the readership count touch 0 on any given day. Unfortunately, getting digitally pampered in terms of having a laptop and wireless internet makes one quite incapable of blogging with a 512mb RAM desktop and 50 kbps dial up internet connection. Having given sufficient excuses for my laziness and utter lack of will to move my ass in any direction whatsoever while getting thoroughly indulged by my parents, I will now attempt to re-engage your interest in my self-indulgent chatter.

Going to the 124th floor of the 160 storeys tall Burj Dubai (or Burj Khalifa, I do not care to argue), was a real treat. 100 dhs (1400 rupees) per head entry charge is a bit too steep but the whole thing is kind of worth it because there are super cool telescopes with attached digital screens as a result of which you do not have to pretend to be a pirate while trying to make your one eye focus on something obscure and blurred. As is our luck, that day was extremely hazy and we could barely see a few kilometers away. The telescopes once again came to the rescue with static day and night images already present. The fastest lift in the world (10 m/s) took us straight up to the 124th floor and my ears were popping trying to adjust to the height so quickly. Once up there, the viewing deck was out in the open but fully protected by glass so no chance of anybody having a historic suicide. Me and my Dad went crazy with 2 cameras and took loads of pics. To conclude, I still think that its better to look AT the Burj Dubai than to look FROM the Burj Dubai.

I also managed to catch up with a few friends to go to Ceramique Cafe. There are plenty of mugs, plates, bowls, dishes made in ceramic which you need to buy. The waiters then provide you with paints and a pencil with which you can destroy the pristine white thing (I did :D) and then they put it in the flame so that the paint shines and you have something really fancy to use as a showpiece. In this photo, I have showed the backside of the plate because the front side looks like it has been painted by a lunatic. I hope my Mom manages to get the plate back safe and sound without "accidentally" breaking it :P It was fun to unleash my creative side and go wild with the paints and my imagination :D

The best part about this trip is that the Dubai Metro has started. I used to hate going to Dubai because it is impossible to commute there without a car. The taxi fares are ridiculous and the buses were infrequent. Now, however, the metro goes far n wide for very cheap rates and is very convenient to use. As a result I crashed into my best friend's place at least twice and landed up at her office too. Ok this is a girl friend and I am not some crazy stalker. We ended up having the best time and I was really glad that I could commute without having to rely on my Dad. Mom and me went to malls far and wide to shop to our heart's content. Just when I was completely about to write off Dubai..

This is one trip I'll definitely not forget in a hurry.

Aurangabad Trip

Have you ever done something or been somewhere, when you've totally lost track of time? You remember looking forward to that adventure, and the next thing you know, you're back home. The trip to Aurangabad to attend a very close friend's wedding was of the same nature. I remember packing for it, reaching the pickup point and sitting in my friend's car, but after that, I cannot exactly recollect what we did. All I know is, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and it was one of the best trips I've ever had.

Highlights of the trip:

a) I drove Santro Xing on Pune-Nagar Highway. The roads are beautiful and it was an absolute pleasure to drive on them. What was more pleasurable though was sitting in the front passenger seat and hogging on chocolates (so thoughtfully kept there by the car owner) while listening to songs and criticizing the then-driver.

b) Irritating the only guy amongst 3 girls by calling him a driver and asking him if he's sure he is a guy as he exhibited no signs of being one. He wasn't sure how the AC in his car worked and had no idea how a petrol or diesel engine works. That investigation is still going on, btw.

c) Putting our collective asking-directions-in-loud-voices-from-moving-vehicle skills and finally after roaming around in Aurangabad for 1 hour, finding the "Lord's Paradise" place!

d) Seeing my friend in her yellow saree and pretty make-up, waiting for the ring ceremony to start.

e) Finding out that a girl whom we had ditched (refused to hitchhike in our car), was being put up in the same room as us! That did lead to a few awkward moments, but it was fun planning how to ditch her while going back too.. Apologies to that girl, all I can say is, each group has an energy and when a member leaves, or a new member comes in, the energy changes. We had all grown so fond of the energy that we didn't want to change it. So we're extremely sorry for the boring ride both ways.

f) Handwriting analysis (10 traits each!) in the middle of the night. I have noticed that each and every reading touches that person. More power to my intuition!

g) Shameless hollering and a lot of are-you-sure-you're-a-boy questions to our male friend because he didn't know how to whistle during the Sangeet ceremony. We danced at every opportunity we got and the uncles aunties there were wondering to which side does this party of hooligans belong to. The best part though was when we apologized to my friend for creating chaos, she said "That's why you've been called here!"

h) Seeing my friend dressed up in Navvari saree for the vidhi. She looked stunning!

i) Hogging. Loads and loads of it. After every 2 hours.

j) 4 photographers plus 1 video cameraman shooting the wedding. Photography competition?

k) My friend being picked up sky high by her mamas and cousins when it was time for exchange of varmaalas.

l) Explaining to our families why we decided to shop at Globus Mall instead of visiting places of cultural heritage like Bibi ka Maqbara and Ajanta-Elora.

m) Playing antakshari while coming back. This is a highlight because the aim is always to remember the most vulgar, cheap songs and sing them at your shrillest best.

After this, the discussions mostly turned philosophical. Although I was laughing at my friend for getting depressed that the trip was over, I myself felt withdrawal symptoms (for lack of a better phrase) when I was dropped back home. All in all, my reluctance to share or ponder about this trip in detail can be attributed to a single fact. I really, truly, lived in every moment of that trip.