Drizzles and Mizzles

It’s May now and I look at my window upwards at the nearly cloudless sky. I have always liked the summer. I guess maybe because I loved the warmth. The scorching heat, of course was a bummer at times, but I thanked the sun’s presence because I knew how I hated getting drenched while going outdoors in the monsoons. I have always had a love-hate relationship with the monsoons. It was very unpredictable. I myself couldn’t say when I would love the dark, cold and wet weather or when I would hate it with all my life so much so that I would want to run away to the equator! And yeah, I’ve had my fascination with the winter too. I kind of secretly wished to live in the snowy regions, up north, maybe somewhere in Siberia. Every time I listen to the song My December by Linkin Park, I get transported to my home in the snow, somewhere…




Monsoons haven’t etched good memories on the slate of my mind. Maybe that is why I always hated them. I always wanted to go away to a better place, a warmer place with the onset of monsoons, in just the same way as I always went away to a better corner of my mind, away from the unpleasant memories. Strange naa, how you associate certain moods with certain things (tangible and intangible) and of course people in your life… the times have gone, the people have moved on, but when I travel somewhere physically, I also go down memory lane in the same place with the person of the past. And this goes on till the time that I keep visiting the place mentally and physically. Then the old memory wears out, fades away and a new one takes its place, takes precedence…

…at such times, I feel minds are like permanent rewritable discs. Things come, stay for a while, serve their purpose and have to go, to make place for the new stuff.




The rains always bring a story along with them…either from the past or they create one, twirling in our lives. Pleasant and unpleasant. Of love and of heartbreaks. Of hope and of deaths. Of the novelty in life and its discovery, and of us discovering ourselves, again…

Rains are the time when I sit huddled up, cozily and gaze at the droplets forming on the glass windows and ponder, to my hearts content! I wait with eager anticipation for the monsoons this time. I know I am going to cherish the gusts of winds that prevail before the downpour begins. And I wish I that I would grow wings and take flight in that forceful breeze… there will be fresh memories this time and I am waiting with arms wide open. And before we know it, the rainy days go by…


Music: "Precious " by Depeche Mode!

Blurry

This post concentrates on motion/action/blur pictures.
I have been trying for quite some time to get some good motion pictures, but never really succeeded. most of the time, the subject would get cut out from the picture! There's a difference between film cameras and digital cameras, I've realised when it comes to taking motion snaps. Digital cameras, it dawned on me, in my case, react slowly as you press the button. In the case of film cameras when you are getting a motion/action snap, the roll gets moving asap. So I calculated the time when a vehicle was approaching my camears frame and pushed the button as it the subject was just about to enter the frame. Release the button when the vehicle is in the centre of your frame and Voila, you get the snap you've been wanting! It took a lot of trial and error for me to reach this exact calculation and its partly my camera's fault. I dunno what the heck is it problem with focussing on it owns like all cameras do! Sigh...

Stuck in the traffic, I had been waiting for the red BEST buses to pass by. The man's white shirt, methinks gives a nice contrast coupled with the RED bus in a blur! I took a lot of 'blur' ics with this man in focus and the vehicles and people moving about. This is the one I liked over the others!

This third picture is the one I liked better than the rest for the barbed wire is clear and so is the man that can be seen through the rickshaw, whereas the vehicle goes by in a blur! :D

All photographs have been taken through a glass window and that's the reason for the 'dull dawn' effect in the picture. (light 'grey tint' cover on the car's window).

Music: 'Amazing' by George Michael!

Meine Fotografieren blindlings

My blind photography...

50-50

Back to my Obsession: Trains!! :D

A random click, this one, without a preview to what I was capturing as the camera was placed on the ground. Luckily the picture was divided in two halves: the lower one taken up by the ground and the upper half by the surrounding environs. (D-lighting used here).

Music: "Shiver" by Coldplay!

Motion, Thoughts, Emotions...

Ain't got anything spectacular to say...
Though I was jus randomly thinking about certain things...completely irrelevant information, but it just intrigued me to know that docs in Belgium are going to amputate Mozart the Iguana's penis (maybe they already did. Stale news this is!) because of an erection that has lasted more than a week after a mating session. Luckily, iguanas have two penises.

Sidney Sheldon passed away.... Well, I dont really look upto his style of writing. He even has all the same masala for all of his novels but I admit I enjoyed reading most of them. But I was a crazy fan of "I Dream Of Genie"....Sigh....I was one crazy kid who would just get glued to the television way before the show started. I also had a crush on that Nelson guy! ;-)

Motion

Motion

1600 hours.
Really strong sun.

Kite
Motion

These Kites were quite close.
I didnt need to zoom in!
Motion

Thoughts, Emotions

Dinshaw Wachcha Road. Outside K.C College.
Guy selling the really popular raw mango slices with the usual masala to go with it.

A photographic sojourn...

Afghan Church, Colaba.

Haji Ali.

The good ol' times...

I had been tagged by Sunrise a.k.a. O Anonymous Reader on my eight Happy and Sad Childhood Memories. So here I go albeit behind schedule. I am not tagging anyone, but whoever would like to take up this tag is welcome to do so!

The good ol’ times…

1. I loved being mischievous. I remember the time when I used to go to school in the winters, wearing a red button shirt sweater and red woolen pants over my uniform (I don’t quite remember the uniform color, though I loved my red sweater pair). I used to wreak havoc sitting on the inside of the desk and bench adjacent to the wall, three tiny children, anything but crammed on the bench. In the free periods, the teacher kept working on her register and minding the children from time to time, looking up from the big green book and asking us to keep our heads down. I would get my crayons and pencils out and boldly stand up on the desk, looking down on the curious heads timidly looking up at me, wanting to know what my antics were. So I would let the world know that I was there, sitting next to the wall, by making my own immature painting or mural or just a signature or full name with class and roll number under a nursery rhyme. And then, the teacher would have a hard time minding our lot because some other classmate would follow my example, making his own creation on the school wall.



2. I used to have many friends in the little building where I lived. A girl in particular, by the name of Deepa, elder to me, used to take care of me in a way that even sisters did not care for each other. She would call me to play, assure my mother that she would be responsible of my safety, so on and so forth… I just have a vague remembrance of the girl now; our friendship just faded away after my family shifted to a new place. Even Deepa’s brother, who disliked my presence for god knows what reason couldn’t break our companionship while I lived there. I think she was the first friend I made.

3. I loved birthdays-mine as well as other peoples’. I would do anything to get a piece of cake. It didn’t matter whether the person was my friend or not, but I would definitely ask him/her to invite me to his birthday party as soon as I came to know that there’s a birthday in the building! :P

4. I loved sleeping and lazing around. I had this favourite bed sheet that I used to snuggle into at any time of the day. A bottle of milk would be there at the side most of the times… My mom still says I sleep like a Kumbhakaran…I was quite sad the day I realised my bed sheet was missing. It was torn and mom had to give it away… :(



5. I remember a Quincy Miss in school…after my Kindergarten ended. She was the most beautiful teacher I had ever seen. I do not remember what subject she taught us, but she had a kind face, with blue eyes, fair skin, and a somewhat gaunt cheek with high cheekbones. I always tried to vie for her attention. She was with my class for a short time, but I can still see her face clearly. In those days, I had heard in stories that Cleopatra was very beautiful. For me, her face was Cleopatra’s face.

6. I loved my Barbie dolls. I had many dolls. All gifted by someone. I had a blonde Barbie once. With boy cut hair. Maybe the style of Marilyn Monroe… I can’t remember vividly. I loved the time I spent with my dolls. Once the Blondie’s yellow shoes got lost and I was quite sure that I had kept them in a jute bag hanging at the door. I couldn’t find them and gave up the quest only when I was thoroughly tired. I do not know if this qualifies for a happy memory, but the loss of the doll’s shoes is still etched on my minds notebook.



7. A. I did not particularly like going to doctors. But I remember tagging along with my dad when he was ill and the doc would give me some yummy tablet (that resembled Hajmola, but tasted sweet) to keep in my mouth. I used to eagerly wait, looking expectantly at the bottle of the candy and looking equally expectantly back at the doc as if saying, “See, what a nice little girl I am! Won’t you give me those candies now?” Once I was so was hungry for my candies that while dad and doc were talking, I promptly went and opened the bottle, popping one in my mouth and keeping a few in my hand to eat on the way back home, with greed occupying my mind.

B. Mom once took me to her friend’s house. Her friend had two teenage daughters, around 18 or so… I decided to explore the house on my own after sitting quietly for sometime being a quiet child. I went to the inner bedroom and by the study lamp found some soft, squishy, imported chocolate that was, as I later found out a gift to them by someone. Without a second thought, I unwrapped them and in went the three candies, one by one. Later while I was savouring the third candy, in come the sisters and announce to their mom that I ate the goodies. I wasn’t rebuked or anything, though mom tried to explain to me to ask before I touch anything! Had fun, man!

8. I love drawing, painting, singing & music and used to be quite uninhibited and self-expressed in my childhood. (But studies were a dampener). I used to thoroughly enjoy those occasions, when I would spring up from the sofa and sing along with the singer as my favourite songs used to come on television. I used to try to copy their dance steps. My Music Sir, Mr. Salvador, placed me in almost all school singing functions and I was his favourite. I loved reading Champak and Tinkle and I still remember the day when mom brought champak for me from the station stall. I still remember the very first story I read. Thanks to my mom, I am a voracious reader now…that also explains my thick glasses!

My favourite yellow chair.
This too was given away like my bed sheet! :(

How I sometimes long for those days to come, when the pressures of having responsibilities seems too much. I used to yearn to grow up quickly and now that I am grown-up, I have rare pangs of becoming small again! Life’s strange and funny!

My moral science book used to say:

When it’s cold,
Man wants it hot.
When it’s hot,
Man wants it cold.
What does man want, after all?

Thank you, people for bearing this long post (for those who have read it till here :P). I don’t know what got into my fingers as I sat typing this post. Sunrise will be happy to read this lengthy post! Sad memories to come in a later post…
So long!

Mumbai

Churchgate Station

Versova Beach (Rock-side)

Versova Beach
Father and Son

Hue View/Evenfall

Hue View 2
(earlier in the evening)

Queen's Necklace

Promenade
(Outside Hilton)

Maula!

(adjacent to Brabourne)

Big City Life!
(Next to Hilton)

*All photos (barring Queen's Necklace and Promenade) pictured by Shitrint.

Part III: Jim Corbett Park

And this, people, is my 5oth post! Yes, I am a lazy bunch of bones because its almost a year since I started blogging and this is all I could blog about! Sirf pachaas?!?! Anyway, this isnt a blogging/posting contest and I feel contented to vent my thoughts, which are at times in turmoil. And most of the times, I try not to crap up this space by writing about silly thoughts or insignificant events of my life! So here is me... :D And I am lucky to have a found a good bunch of friends through blogging!

CORBETT PARK!! YIPPIDEE...my favourite part!
After the Nainital stay, we learned that we had to go to Corbett in a Sumo, which was bad because the roads were winding, zig zag and uneven... So many of us were a victim to motion sickness and the six hour Sumo journey saw some of us throwing up in plastic bags , which were by our side throughout the wobbly ride. We couldnt really stop immediately if someone was feeling unwell, owing to the narrow path; many a accidents occur... So people, do keep a strip of Nice or some other motion sickness tablet with you if you take a similar course!

We reached Hotel Suman Grand and were shown an hour-long or so documentary about the life of tigers from birth to death, breeding, hunting and survival ways thrown in. It was quite informative and seemed to be the work of National Geographic or some other similar channel. The effort and hardwork that went into the docu was evident because they actually followed a tigress for more than two years during which time she mated, cared for the cubs, saw some cubs die and saw other grow into adults. Tigresses mate after every two years when their previous cubbies are grown-up enough to fend for themselves. That was a lot of work for an 'hour-short docu...!' 2 years aint a joke...Hmmm...! Oh, and by the way, males or tigers never partake in the care and growth of the cubbies. They mate and go their separate ways... kind of sad.... Maybe thats nature's law. Dont we see that happening many a time in the lives of humans too? So, I think one cant blame (human) men of being irresponsible or straying after their whines and moans are taken care of... Maybe they are just made that way! I digress...
(I foresee some strong counter-comments and arguments regarding my comment above! Especially by male readers! :P)

On The Rocks!

There was a little half-dried riverbed, a little way behind the hotel. It was fun crossing over the wet soil and rocks. This is my shadow! On the rocks!! :P

Standing Skeletons

Throughout the 5-hour safari, we were surrounded by trees. Some trees looking over us, bending, like a teacher towers over here errant pupil. And at some places, the trees were far off... You want to feast your eyes on something else for a change but everywhere u see, TREES!! And then one cant help thinking how eerie those trees look. Like these far-off standing skeletons over here!

Tiger Pugmarks!

Alas!! Pugmarks were all that we could see. Unlike some other people in the jeeps ahead of us, we couldnt spot a tiger. As they say, tiger sighting is all on luck! But we did see a lot of deer. Corbett looked more like a deer-reserve than a tiger reserve. You shall see as u Scroll down for the pictures. Our logic was correct in a way, when we say that where there are a lot of deer, at least one tiger has to be there. Tiger got up and left as we reached the famous and most coveted spot!

Narrow Path. Trees Towering...

Dried up Riverbed.

Inside Corbett Park. this place seems to be swimming in water during the monsoons! Its extremely cool where the dense tree cover doesnt let much light and heat touch the ground. This place swarms with anthills. So big that they almost look unreal and man-made!

(apparently) A Rare Bird.

Another Scary Tree!

And so ends my week long break. :(
I wish I could live in a jungle like Corbett, close to nature. At least I would be living the natural way without a mask to my face, without any pretenses that one has to don in this fast life here...
Too depressing I know. But my heart longs for the place. And, it kind of, is amusing to me, because ever since I have come back, I have been having dreams of Nainital and Corbett and my train journeys!! Just cant seem to come out. And some of my friends, too, echo the same thoughts!
Cheers!

Part II: Nainital

Here with the Nainital post! This is one of those places that I want to come back to. Jim Corbett Park is also one of them. My tiger-sighting is still left. How long will that tiger evade my eyes?
;-)

Balrampur House

Balrampur House: The palace of some Raja/Maharaja called Balram. This pic would have looked much more beautiful sans our wet towels hanging from the railing, which did not dry properly even after a whole day of letting it out in the sun. Such was the cold of Nainital! But this was one hotel that wasnt anything less than grand! Huge rooms and the size of the washrooms was as big as a room fit for 10 people to sleep in, excluding the bathtub that could fit another person! ;-)

Lake near the Nainital Market

Huge lake that this is, it also enhanced the scenic beauty of this place. Maybe it was almost in the heart of Nainital but I cant be sure because I did not have a directly overheard aerial view of this place, in spite of being on the ropeway! Beautiful maple trees and it was a nice, light, jovial atmosphere seeing the locals gather for discussion on news, locals matters, chit-chatting. This place even had a movie-house called Capitol Cinema, which showed old films like one of those when Salman Khan was young. Nainital Market was close by and it was a lovely place to be at, with comfortable buzz. This place didnt have the arrogant buzz in the air like Mussoorie has. Mussoorie, as and when I saw it, was crammed with students of boarding school, which made me deduct that they were rich kids! Nice place to people-watch, seated on the cold benches while having a steaming cup of Nescafe (which everywhere was sold for 10 bucks!).

On the Ropeway

Un-chill your bones!

Nainital Market

Tasting 1-2-3

Just a local kid, his tongue rolled out alongwith his mother. I found the lil boy (or is it a girl? You never know what with all those sweaters and hoods and monkey caps..?!?!) very cute and amusing amd so got his/her pic covertly! In the background is a tradesman with his wares as well as the Nainital lake. This area is one of the most beautiful with the lake, market, cinema house, one or two churches, a mosque a little farther away, and narrow winding roads, all placed together.

Nainital @ Nite

Dusk starts falling at around 5 pm at this hill station, quite like any other place atop a hill. The tradesmen with the roadside stalls as well as some shops have to take the help of lamps. I do not know if it's an issue regarding scarcity of electricity here, as I saw many shops with a tubelight or fan, but going by the hotel's grand use of it, there seemed no special dearth of the energy source. But water can be quite a problem here. Especially when you suddenly stop getting hot water in your bath or have to wash your bum with chilling, ice-cold water!

Nainital @ Dawn

This was chandamama at 7 am in the morning! The moon was just a tiny pebble in the morning sky and the temple in red and white that you see were extremely far off on a hill. Zooming in gave me this big pic of the moon! The fog is great in the mornings and when one reaches atop this hill on horseback or waslking, the fog is so thick that is barely not possible to see your own hand if you held it in front of you!

Just some timepass...

This place has amazing flowers!!!
Even the trees look so graceful in spite of scarce leaves on them!

Bhimtal Lake

Bhimtal Lake: Enroute to Jim Corbett from Nainital. there was some legend or story behing this lake, which i could not catch properly, while the tour guide was blabbering away. apparently Bhim had a fight with someone and flung the enemy so hard that a crater developed and water filled in. and hence the name Bhimtal! (Sorry, I felt too lazy to Google it)


PS: Please do not steal/ dhapofy any pics. Ask first if you want to save any on your PC!

PS 2: All said and done, I'm sure the small note above is not going to help!