Another weekend comes to an end and boy! What a long weekend! Pretty surprising, considering that they usually fly past so fast that it almost makes your head spin and before you know it, its that dreaded day of the week again. I guess what made this weekend seem like an lazy snail on a leisurely stroll was probably because after a long time I chose to spend it doing absolutely nothing. No sightseeing, no movies, no eating out…not even shopping…well the shopaholic fiend in me did try to tempt me to the malls but I guess laziness won the battle this time…good for my bank account. Stayed put at home…a regular couch potato…watching TV, stuffing my face with food and reading novels. Well, at least one good thing came out of it…caught up on my reading…read through two Artemis Fowl books over the weekend. Have been hearing a lot about it and finally got to know what the fuss was all about. A 12 year old criminal mastermind whose malevolent exploits intertwines his world with that of the supernatural world existing at the earth’s core. Certainly destroyed the rosy picture of magical creatures planted in my head by Enid Blyton. The book however is pretty fast paced and runs through without the tiresome descriptions that accompany many fantasy writings. Looking forward to the movie…

WYD

Living in Mumbai is like living amongst a perpetually growing multitude of people. It’s almost as if swarming hordes of fellow creatures are an integral part of your life. I have always disliked crowds but over years I have perfected my own way of dealing with them. The moment I get out onto the streets, I slip into my own reverie of daydreams and fantasies. I may be getting shoved and jostled by the masses around me, but in my head I’ve just scored the winning goal at the Soccer World Cup and the crowd is cheering for me. The woman sitting next to me on the bus has fallen asleep on my shoulder, who cares…I’m dreaming of how I can use my secret superpowers to zap that annoying kid that’s bawling his head off. I know it makes me sound like a regular Walter Mitty, but this technique has worked pretty well for me. I can just tune out the craze and noise around me and escape into my enchanted little world. Anyway, over time the daydreams have progressively become more and more realistic to the point of tiresome monotony. I guess that’s just one of the many dreadful losses of growing up…the mediocre adult rationale begins to see through to the absurdity of childhood fantasies.

Anyway, not one to give up, the daydreams have been replaced by two little earphones blaring music into my head when I’m out on the streets. Yeah … I’m being squashed in the train by a bunch of chubby women…doesn’t matter…coz I’m in the land of rock n roll…yo man!! Over time, cheap FM radio (but a good one I must say…stuck by me for over a year before falling to shambles) was replaced by a mobile phone with an inbuilt radio. Years later, I still use the same trick…retreat to my haven of music when I leave the house…except now, the radio has been replaced by a snazzy mp3 player.

Well, the reason for these reminisces on such a peculiar subject, is because, for probably the first time in many years, I’m enjoying going out into a crowd.
It’s the week of World Youth Day in Sydney and the city is bursting with pilgrims from across the world. I’m standing at Wynyard waiting for the bus back home after work when I see this huge group of young pilgrims making their way to the stop. Lamenting to myself about how the bus would now be overcrowded I continue listening to Enrique crooning into my ears. At some point I realise a low humming that’s gradually getting louder. It’s a while before I realise that the group of pilgrims have begun to sing. Intrigued, I pull out the earphone from my ears…the youngsters are singing…it gets louder and rhythmic as one of them starts playing a little drum. Soon they have formed a circle next to the bus station and are dancing to their song. I realise that everyone at the stop, even the surly looking guy in the business suit, is watching, listening and enjoying in the cheerful spirit that’s spreading across.

Over the week, the city has been bustling with World youth day participants from god-only-knows how many nationalities, with their colourful bandanas, caps, and flags breaking into song and dance at every possible opportunity. There’s just miles and miles of Christian spirit all around and what with the cold weather in Sydney, it’s almost starting to seem like Christmas to me. The vibrant hues of colour are a welcome change from the dull drab corporate shades that I usually see on the trains and buses. Their banter is so infectious that I invariably tend to shut down my mp3 player just to listen and to be part of this crowd. Too bad the festivities end in another few days…the city would go back to its normal routine and the earphones…yeah those would plug back into my ears.

Mama Mia

Finally caught up with the latest Hollywood musical, Mama Mia. Full of song and dance, this movie is an quite an entertaining caper. 20-year-old Sophie lives with her mother Donna on a small Greek island, where Donna runs a resort. Sophie is about to be married and wants her father to be present at the wedding but does not know who he is. From Donna's old diary, she figures he is one of three men mentioned in it. She secretly invites all three and hopes to find out who is her real father. What follows is a capricious canter with characters breaking into song and dance at the drop of a hat.

There’s not much of a plot to carry on 108 minutes of reel time, but the great performances, awesome locations and of course Abba’s music makes for one feisty flick. Some song sequences do seem a bit too long winded (Read: Donna singing “The winner takes it all” to a remorseful looking Sam). Even so, the movie cruises along at a pretty good pace and keeps one amused. Meryl Streep as the sassy Donna steals the show and steals your heart with her quirky antics to Mama Mia and Dancing Queen. Can’t really say the same about Pierce Brosnan suddenly singing S.O.S. It’s a bit odd to see our smooth, suave Bond serenading with Abba classics.

Not sure how many people would actually like this movie, but if you are an Abba fan, this light hearted, feel good movie is definitely worth a watch.

Out on my own

I’ve never really been one to go exploring anyplace on my own. In fact, I think I have never done it before now. But I suppose there’s a first for everything. So here I am, three hours away from Sydney, in Newcastle for a short visit. Work doesn’t start until late afternoon, which means I essentially have the entire morning on my hands with absolutely nothing interesting on the cards. I must admit though, there was the enticing option of staying put in the warm hotel room and catching up on the paperback which I have been carrying around for quite some time now. But the prospect of seeing a new place got the better of me and I decided to venture out into the city.

Now, I have an appalling sense of direction and it doesn’t take me too long to get lost which is why I usually arm myself with a bunch of maps pulled out from the online experts. Unfortunately the internet connectivity bails out on me and I find myself on the street armed with nothing but a miniature brochure that I found in my room. The booklet mentions a few places that interest me so I decide to go in search of the information center to get some more detailed directions. Smart move…? Yeah that’s what I thought…only…how does one get to the information center??? The hotel brochure says that it’s right opposite the railway station. Seems simple…I do know where the station is…only, I have now walked beyond the station and there has been no sign of the center so far. So I decide to keep walking on the main road…can’t get lost if I don’t take any turns…can I?

Its an awfully windy day…numbingly cold and I seem to be walking on a run down part of the city with quite a few seedy looking shops, most of which are closed. Ten minutes into the walk and the wide road forks out ahead into two seemingly uninteresting paths. Well, so far there seem to be no directions to the beaches and heritage places which are supposed to be very close by as per the brochure…the information center of course remains elusive. That’s when I catch sight of a large Myers outlet on the other side of the road seeming to beckon me. The mental image of aisles of fashion at its best almost douses out my explorer spirit. I am on the verge of giving in to my shopaholic urges when I notice a railway crossing to my right. Curiosity gets the better of me…well a railway crossing is not really interesting, it was just the possibility of getting a better view of the city that made me climb all the way up. And that’s when I saw the view that took my breath away…the immense azure expanse dipping into the deep swirling waves of blue. It takes me a few minutes to realize that in my bumbling exploration quest I had unknowingly stumbled onto the Newcastle Harbour.

As I walk along the harbor, I realize that I’m actually on the path that leads to the main beaches and heritage spots of Newcastle…lucky me!! The sights are absolutely brilliant, a feast for weary eyes that have been continually subjected to a mind-numbingly tedious computer screen. The strong winds constantly threaten to sweep me off my feet as I plod on trying to take in all the sights. The tourist crowd is minimal which gives me a chance to take some good snaps of the landscapes. I spend a good few hours taking in the golden sand, the huge waves and the hordes of pelicans basking in the sun. There are also quite a few spots of historic significance but the brilliant display of nature at its best keeps me totally captivated in its magic. My walk finally leads me to the Yi-Ran-Na-Li cliffs, a sacred and revered place. It is believed that one must be silent whilst passing beneath them lest the rocks fall onto you. Needless to say I made sure that not a word escaped my lips even though the cliffs are supposed to be quite safe now. The cliffs themselves are an impressive sight as they seem to look down upon insignificant humans passing beneath them. It’s a pretty awesome feeling to stand on the narrow pathway, with the imposing Yi-ran-na-li on one side and the enormous waves crashing onto the rocks on the other side.

Anyway, I decide to turn back when I realize that it’s almost noon. I make sure that I take the exact same path back lest I get lost. The walk back is quite pleasant and I manage to get a few good pictures of the pelicans who still seem to be enjoying their bask in the sun. I arrive back at my “magic beanstalk”…the railway crossing, and cross over to the streets which now seem dreary in comparison to nature’s canvass on the other side.

Feeling pretty pleased with myself, I head back for my hotel room and guess what I see on the way…the visitor’s information center, right opposite the railway station (just like it was mentioned in the brochure)! Wonder how I missed it in the first place??...maybe it was the magic beanstalk at work…!!!

Monsters under my bed!!

I hate to admit it, but the fact is that darkness still gives me the creeps. There are still some nights when the few moments between switching off the lights and climbing into bed brings terribly graphic images into my mind. Blame it on an overactive imagination, but my mind somehow conjures up these scary possibilities which I’m sure could shoot any horror flick into a box office success.

Well, last night was particularly freakish…I turned off the lights and got into bed quite peacefully, without my imagination acting up. But then my brain chooses to give me a dose of insomnia. So I lie wide awake trying to count sheep. Now I have a pretty large glow-in-the-dark jig saw puzzle spread out in my room, which gives out an eerie glow in the dark. Within seconds creepy images started popping into my tranquil mind. For a change I decide to go with the flow and try to list out all the possibilities that have given me jitters over the years.

Well, there have always been images of skeletons jumping out from closets and ghosts flying in from open windows. But my biggest fear factor has always been monsters under the bed. Even now I would think twice before dangling my feet down from the bed when it is pitch dark. Even if I do, the sensation that something would grab my feet and pull me under the bed is so overpowering that it makes me involuntarily pull my feet back up. But once all tucked up in bed I have always felt safe from any of Satan’s minions that may be lurking under the bed, in the closet or outside the window. Unfortunately, my imagination seems to catch up on fear factors narrated by others. One such fear is to be lying in bed, and get the feeling that if I look up at the ceiling fan there would be a person dangling from it. Anyway, I have now stopped looking up at the ceiling once the lights are turned off so I have pretty much managed to get over that fear.

Things were fine until one of my friends chose to let her imagination run away. Asked me what I would do if I woke up in the middle of the night and found that the person lying next to me had turned into a ghost. Needless to say insomniac nights have never been the same with this particular possibility lodged in my head!!!

If I ever came face to face with my own personality, I would hate it!