Yellows childrens. I am back. Shanta Bai, Kanta Bai, Ganga Bai, Murgarajankupaswamykamini all have to wait. Yep, we left the house at 8:30 AM. hehahahahahaha... So, I'm still me.

I had an awesome time, but I was glad to see my dirty room and bed and clean towels and proper food again. Sounds like I went on sanyas? I did! I did!! Not making sense? Let's take it from the top..

We hit the road by eight thirty, and for those who have over active imaginations we did not take the bullock cart, the horse cart, bicycles and we did not resort to Tarzan style of travelling either, we took the car. The roads are awesome, with the Toll and all now, so the drive was damn good. We stopped at a small hill station called Yercaud for the night. It's around 40 kimi from Salem.

I'd been there before, on a school trip in 9th standard. It was our very first day-night trip. Aah the memories.. I had a good time lecturing my sis on the way we sneaked up into our balconies (the doors had been locked) and spent the night out... about the camp fire and all that... Sigh. I also had to run to save my ass for half a kimi, because my dad wanted to spank me for spoiling the young child. Young child, my little toe.

And I can't believe how much the place has NOT changed. It's an awesomely dirty town. But if you can make it to the resorts, a little away from of the centre of the town, you're in for a treat. We stayed at a place called The Grange. It's tucked away on the hill, amidst a dense tree cover. Boating is about all you can treat yourself to over there.. and a few great veiws. The lake still stinks!!

Next morning we buckled ourselves in and left for our next destination, Coimbatore. Nothing much there... usual city type place. Pollution, traffic jams and people with their lungi's half way up :)

From Coimbatore, we left for Munaar, our final destination. The drive uphill, unlike that to Yercaud, is slow and across, at a vague guess, at least a 100 mountains :) It took forever! Oh! and before you go all the way up, do stop at this small stall, right on the road.. they sell fresh orchard mangoes.. it's hard to miss, it's the only shop on the whole road. Mom and dad went berserk!! It's all they did in Munaar. Eat mangoes.

Oh and yeah.. before that.. there's this huge field of windmills!! It's an amazing sight. there's around a hundred of these giants...

Around half way up, you're in for a treat. The air smells of tea and the view is amazing. There are tea gardens and tea gardens and some more tea gardens. Phew. What came as a shock to mum and dad and sis was the actual Munnar ( I've been there before too.. school trip). It's an amazingly dirty place (again). Brave it to about 20 kimi's from the town, and you're in paradise. In the midst of sprawling tea gardens and over looking the valley are The Mahindra Holiday Club Resorts and The Sterling Resorts.

We put up at Sterling... Had a cottage to ourselves. Two blissful days of long walks.. playing pool, reading and getting made fun of at party games, which the resort people hosted every evening... Aaah! Every man's paradise.

You DO NOT want to venture back into the city, or to any of the "sight seeing" points.. they're a waste of time. Take your own car, and just loitre around.. You're likely to see all these points yourself. For example, there's a point called "the hanging bridge". Sounds bery bery exciting and all.. but all it is, is a hanging bridge. That helps you cross over from one tea estate to another. Over NOT a stream ... but over some bery green grass :)

Oh and I almost forgot.. there's a National Park up there too.. I forget the name.. But there's nothing up there but Wild Goats. Apparently, there are only 2400 of them left in the world, and around 1500 of them are found here. The first time I made the trip up there, I saw zilch. But the view is awesome. You can see a million mountains.. and the whole valley. It's worth the 2 kimi trek up. This time, there were clouds everywhere.. but lots of goats. I think I have a pic of every goat that every tread on that mountain by now. Dad and me are capricorns.. I guess that's explaination enough.

On the way back, we stopped at a small place called Pollachi, instead of venturing straight into Coimbatore again. We also stopped at the Mango shop again, to find it closed. But that didn't stop me dad.. nothing comes in the way of fresh fruit and him. So, he gets the man to open up his godown, and buys 13 kilos of mangoes. Phew. That's my dad for you.

Now, the reason for this stop was to make a trip to the Annamali Wildlife Sanctuary. Dad's a wildlife buff. We thought we'd go up there and spend the day there, and be back by early evening. Ha! Good think no one spared a penny of those thoughts. We went there and found out that the best time to see animals was before 6 P.M and afer 6 A.M. In between which, no traffic is allowed. So, logically thinking, one would have to stay at the guest houses there, to actually enjoy the experience. Nothing comes between my dad and wildlife.

And voila! We have accomodation. No clothes, but the ones we have on and no toileteries. And we have a tree house to ourselves. Right on the lake. On a bloddy tree. Two trees.

So, we stayed in a tree house, saw the world's biggest Teak tree, saw no tigers, ate food made at an adivasi(tribal) settlement, and had alot of night time visitors. The not-seeing-tiger part didn't hurt, because we'd already seen proper ones at Kanah Kisli, which is another National Park in Central India, and India's largest Tiger reserve. So, we had an awesome time.

First thing we did when he reached Coimbatore, was run for the showers. My sis wasn't too keen on it though.. she's used to roughing it out for days without a bath. Yuck. Pig. We attacked the soft beds with rigour.

Dad wanted to make the drive back home in one stretch, so we were up to greet the sun next morning. And you won't believe it.. but we saw all our forest friends ka domestic relatives. domestic Bisons (buffaloes), domestic boars (pigs), domestic elephants (elephants) and domestic deer (deer).. and domestic goats (goats) so yay! Okie, I'm just kidding.

On the whole, the trip was great. So instead of running out of the country when you want a good vacation... visit India, again. It's the most awesome place on the planet. Not many places can boast of roads that will gaurantee to keep you awake so that you can enjoy the scenary and give you a very good physiotherapy at the same time. Not many places can boast of "chay wallas" (small tea shops) on the way and amazing views. Not many places can actually make you appreciate the change in air when you travel out of the city... and I can gaurantee that you get all this and more when you travel India!! I'm telling ya.. I've been through the west and the north and the south... and I'm amazed and I've loved every bit of it :)

What isn't great is that results are out next week. And that medical students have been pushed to go on a strike. And that Karuna Nidhi is back in power. And that there are people who actually support reservations. But that's for another time.. Hope you guys had a great and peaceful week.. because guess what?

I'm back!!

Oh and thankus for bearing with me, I've been a real BEAR at times... this is post number 150!!! Ok. Who am I kidding? I've been a BEAR most of the time... and best part is.. I'm still me :)

I didn't want to write. I made myself not want to write, for a while. Somehow... I just felt inadequate. I know it sounds sthupit. But coming from me, I guess you guys are used to that :) Good news is... no one missed me. Sigh.

I'm going to bug you guys anyway.. I hate silences!!!! Exams got over on Saturday, and life's been on the roll since then.

Monday, my friends came over, because they wanted original aloo parathas. And that's what they got. Along with my sis's unwanted company :) They spent the day with me... and well, we just, hung around. Kamalam actually managed 5 of the puckka properly Punjabi style parathas.. She's gone way up on my charts, right there... at second spot, with my uncle from the States, who is so crazy about them that he can have eleven at a stretch. He wants them for breakfast, lunch, dinner and in between, whenever he's in India. Phew.

Tuesday, a friend of mine from school and I got together and we decided to go for a movie. I invited my sis and a friend of hers out of the kindness of my heart. Spent an hour on my favorite means of transport.. MTC!! And to make sure we didn't miss out on anything... we got stuck in a traffic jam at every signal. Three cheers for Chennai.

Hip hip?
Hurray.

Hip hip?
Hurray.

Hip hip?
Hurray.

And at 1:15 PM, we got tickets for a 1:30 PM movie. On that day, not the next. Guess which movie? Gangster. Yucccccck. The movie is as bad as the songs Ya Ali and Bheegi Bheegi are good. There's something wrong with that sentence, but, well you get the point :) The lady, just keeps yelling all throughout in this horribly high pitched voice... After a point of time, the whole theatre ( and house full, at that) shouted, to counter the noise. We laughed at every fight scene and wished we had given the ticket money to charity when all the characters in the movie die and go to heaven, where they are shown dancing in the gardens of Eden.

Oh and Imran as usual, does his sleeping in the bed sheets on the terrace... Damn! That man's got a single track mind, which lacks creativity. In one place, the actress walks in search of whisky in the evening in a shirt, barefoot, in the cold, all the way to Imran's house where he takes her to the terrace, and suddenly, it's bright and sunny. And then all of a sudden, half way through her story, Mr. Moon is out. And no, she didn't walk all night, because then THAT scene would make sense... It's still night time when Imran opens the door for her. It's terrible. The movie.

Bleh. What a waste of precious taime. Pah. Though, the day, on the whole.. Was fun.

Today, was more on the adventurous side. I wanted to go shopping at Pondy Bazar, which is like, the Linkin Road of Mumbai or Janpath of Delhi, of Chennai. So, my friends and I, made it a day's ka trip... well half a day actually, but for me it turned out to be a day's worth ka trip.

I reached, fit and fat as I found that luckily the bus I had gotten on to, stops right at the bazaar. Yay for me. We walked the streets... Bargaining and enjoying ourselves. It was fun. We said tata bye-bye and I walked to the bus stop, opposite the one I had gotten off at... Logically speaking, every bus that took that way, would return by that way, also. Apparently, MTC, doesn't do logic.

So, after waiting for half an hour for A bus, I decided to ask around. Found out that the bus guys just turn of and take the previous parallel road. Okey, so me did some walky. Logically, there ought to have been some bust stops for the buses on the new parallel-road route. Apparently, MTC, doesn't do logic.

Me go on walky and walky and walky. I walked the whole of T.Nagar!! It took me and hour, to FINALLY find a bus stop, where buses STOPPED. Where buses that took that route STOPPED. Where buses to my house STOPPED. Got one after an another half an hour.

Three cheers for MTC.

Hip hip?
Hurray.

Hip hip?
Hurray.

Hip hip?
Hurray.


All this on an empty stomach. Because we ran out of cash and couldn't have lunch. We thought we'd be home by 2:30PM, at max... and then we could eat. I reached home at 5:00PM. Phew.

Right now... I'm sitting with my feet soaked in hot water... they huurrrrrrrrrrrrrttttttttttttttttttt!!!! Surprised? Naw. You must be used to me and stuff like this. Sigh.

Like they say it... 'twas just another day in paradise... Let's see what tomorrow brings. Until then, lotsaluv!

I have nothing to say.

Nothing... that's worth anything to anyone.

I was just thinking... Last night, I suddenly, just wanted to talk to someone. It was past eleven. And I had to keep looking into my memory, for a person I could call up at such an hour, and not be worried.

Three people called. I was up till one something... and guess what? I still hadn't found out who I could call and... and well, just talk to. Half the people I know would have been talking to their respective "better halves", the other half would either have been talking to their fiances or sleeping or would have been dialing my number to cry their hearts out. Okie, that didn't come out well.. I'm not trying to take Cruella's place.

So, who do you call? When you just want to talk.... As in, you probably have nothing to talk about speciafically, but you just want company..?

Anyway, miserable things aside.. I have ONE more exam and then I am done!! hehehahahahahaha... And then there's english and then there's two and a half months of freedom...hehhahahahaha... You know, I just noticed, I do too much of this evil laugh these days... Cruella? Who me?

Anyhow, me not go anything to say for now *ahem*... Proper post, after my exams. People start looking old during these days... nothing to do. Just sit and stare at a book. Once in a while, you might even want to flip the page :) You guys have a great day! Lotsaluv.

Yours forever sthupitly.

Oh right. Sure, people just luuvvvvvvvvrrreeeeeeeee me. Just go to any of the previous posts ka comments section and you'll know how true that one is :( or better still... check out the message leaving thing in the sidebar.. someone please remind me why it is there??



sniff.

sob.

sniff sniff.

The scoundrels just want to make you feel better.. but they try too hard.. having a bad day?? You can take the quiz here!

I got really bugged of seeing those prim and proper ladies... that just aint me.. and so we're sticking to black. Plain and simble. With a few modifications. And lots of ishtyle.

And if I have time to sit and modify and make backgrounds it obviously means that... my eckjams are going on!!!

Eckjams are what are stopping this country from further growth.

First you waste paper. For printing question papers and then we waste paper, by just trying to fill up sheets, with stuff neither you've ever read or are going to ever read.

*hugs*

sob.
sniff.

sniff.

...Let's observe two minutes ka silence. For the trees that have given up their lives. That have been MADE to give up their lives. Life isn't fair. It's cruel.

*silence*

We make scientists and nobel laureates squirm in their graves.

Second of all... you're wasting valuable time. The time which figures in "time and tide wait for none". It's such a damn waste of time. Waste time at lectures, because of attendance. Waste time pretending to study for these exams. Waste time preparing question papers, with questions that show how little teachers know about the subject. Waste time writing these exams.

Phew. That's alot of waste. It's ALOT ALOT of waste.

Sheesh.. what will this world come to??

I was watching yet another very interesting episode of The Big Fight... when I realised that the questions I had, say, two years ago, as a minor at 16 years of age.. I still have, at 18 years of age.

What is a democracy?
From what I have been taught, since I learnt how to write and walk, is that a democratic government is one that is of the people, for the people, and by the people. As of now, I understand that it is a government formed by people who are illiterate, of the people who wish to earn easy money and enjoy being in power and for no one. Basically, it is all a sham.

People who run for elections win votes by promising people land and television sets. They win too.. because the people who vote are people who can be won by such empty promises. Empty, why? A leader, here in Tamil Nadu, promised a TV set to every person in this state. 12 million families in this state. Production of television sets in India is 10 million. Ahem.

People who have little sense and actually fell for that promise might have read this. After reading this, they might have come back to their senses. After coming back to their senses, they still sit at home, while the people who have no sense go and cast their votes.

But, it's a democratic country, and we are free people.

How old ARE we?
We need people to hit us on our rears to bring us to our senses. But aren't we free people? Doesn't that mean we can do what we want, when we want and how we want?

Who are these people who can hit us and bring us on track?
The government. But there's so many people. SO many views. Infact, each person has his/her own view. How do you agree? Who do you agree with? What exactly do you agree upon?

Moral policing. What exactly is it?
From what I see around me, moral police is the police that takes care of the sexual "harassment" in this country.

Okie so lets go along with this definition.. the one we use in this country.

Leaglise prostitution. Is there something wrong in girls getting paid for their bodies? To me? Yes. To you? No, maybe. But the it depends on who the "you" is. So, who makes the law?

Ban dance bars. When you allow brothels and strip bars to exist, what's special about these dance bars?

You could tell me all these come under sexual harassment of women. Making them sex slaves. That in alot of cases husbands force their wives to do such things to earn money. That girls are bought in villages and brought here.

You could also tell me that these are poor girls who want to make easy money. Alot of easy money. So let them. God bless them.

You could say it goes against our culture. The Kamasutra indian culture, the Mughal raj indian culture... the Ashokan raj indian culture..?? Which one exactly are you talking about??

Again, it depends on the who the "you" is.

According to me, it'd be the police who kept track of anything to do with all the moral stuff. Moral stuff being all the stuff that comes under morality. Telling lies, behaving like maniacs like the incident in Bangalore, spitting on the road, not being capable of keeping your bladders in check... and more.

So, basically..

Do we need someone to keep us in check?
Yes.

Who might that someone be?
The government.

What is a government?
A collection of people who represent the rest of the people.

Who keeps the government in check?
The people.

Who keeps the people in check?
errrrrrrr...

The ideal solution to this whole mess that has been created is education. I'll tell you why. Each of us has the right to make our own choices and to express our views and thoughts. The only way you can express your own veiws and thoughts is when you know you have the right to do so. When do you have the right to do so? When you have been given that knowledge... and that's what's education. I am not talking maths and sciences. I am talking basic stuff.

If every person were to have this, there'd be no need for moral policing. We'd be our own inspectors. But that means behaving like responsible citizens of the country. If you can't be responsible for your actions, you don't deserve to be free.

It used to be so simple when we were younger. The class monitor would report the slightest mischief. Best friend or no best friend. Now that we are older, supposedly more sensible... we cover up for the people who do the wrong stuff and we corner people who are sincere. Why? I don't understand. When you put on a uniform, you are responsible to the people who've trusted you with it. You're responsible to what the uniform stands for damnit.

Why do people want to do what is NOT right. Why is there so much dirt in our system? Why aren't people doing anything about it?

What's right what's wrong? Which is black and which is white? Or are these all just shades of grey?

*Sigh*
That was a lot of thought. On a normal day, putting my thoughts down would help me feel better. I'd find some answers. Today it just makes me feel more depressed. And angry.