Day Ten

For the past year and a half, I've been the photographer for a band called Groove Gully. A good friend of mine is the lead singer and pianist. When my vacations started, I thought of learning to play the piano or keyboard. I innocently asked him if he'd be so kind as to give me keyboard lessons. He enthusiastically responded to my request and so, I had my first class today!

Being his first ever student, he was nervous about teaching me; although I cannot imagine why. My first lesson was brilliant. I was taught patiently and thoroughly. We started out with the extreme basics and moved into the notes, how to represent them on paper, which notes corresponded to which keys, how to position my hand over the keys, how to move my fingers from one note to the next and how to play within an octave. He showed me the C-major scale and made me practice it- with first the right and then the left hand. (Rather, on the treble clef and then the bass clef.) (Look at me! I know the words!)
I loved today's class. Even though I was being taught by a friend who I usually end up talking to endlessly once I start, we were serious and kept our focus on what we were doing. I was worried about whether learning from a friend meant compromising on actual learning, but it turned out to be quite the contrary. I was at complete liberty to ask questions and he taught me well at my own pace. It ended up being a very productive session.

My picture for today (isn't one of an adorable little lab puppy with its mother being walked right outside my friend's house) is of some notes we made during today's class. I can finally scratch one thing off my Holiday-To-Do-List. Learn how to play the keyboard- check! Okay, I don't know how to yet, but at least I'm on my way.

Day Nine

I have this friend. Let's call her Hotpants.

Hotpants stays in Baroda but has come to Bombay to study. Although we were in the same class during our first year, our currently wonderful friendship sprouted and took root only this year. She is a talented, intelligent, funny, imaginative woman with several exclamation points following her always. We share a lot more than common interests. We share a locker for our books, we share an early-and-hasty breakfast between our first two lectures, we share butter pav bhaji, we share links from the internet, we share classes and professors. We share a common dream for ten years from today. We share the belief that we make two bumbling fools. But most importantly, we share a treasure trove of memories from this year. Memories that we will treasure for several years to come. Times when we aimlessly set out from college when we had no practicals. Times when we roamed in Crawford market. Times we spent sprawled on the library floor between the stacks, reading until our tummies ached with hunger. Times that we spent in the canteen gushing about life, dreams and food. Times we spent passing notes during boring chemistry lectures. Times when we were creative and made bangles and dream catchers. Times spent blowing balloons for the farewell party. Times we spent cramming for our exams. I couldn't count our memories on my fingers and toes.

Today, Hotpants is to leave for Baroda until college resumes after summer. I had set out from home to meet her when she called me and said that she wasn't done packing and she needed help. So she picked me up at the station and took me to her home. Her home is a large-ish room where she's staying as a paying guest. When I walked in after her, I beheld a room that had been struck by a tornado. There were clothes strewn everywhere, books scattered about, loose papers spread on the floor and little packets of food everywhere. I now knew why she needed help to pack. There are two beds in that room. When I first entered, both of them were piled high with clothes and etceteras. When she told me that only one of those piles belonged to her and the other to her roommate, I heaved a sigh of relief. We got down to packing. We spent the next couple of hours stuffing clothes into bags, holding our breath as we held them shut, yapping away and popping chocolate into our mouths. Two hours, 6 bags and several dusty books later, we were all packed. (Or she was, rather.) We had cleared up the place beautifully. Hotpants' bed was clear of all its mess and we looked at it with swollen chests.

My picture for today shows off the packed bags. I had a whole lot of fun with Hotpants. And today wasn't nostalgic or saddening for I know I'll be meeting this bubbly girl in a couple of months again and will be spending another brilliant year with her. (And many more to come.)

This one's for you, Hotpants!

 

Day Eight

I almost can't remember when today began. It was sometime earlier than usual for a holiday and I was as chirpy as a sparrow who caught the worm. I spent the morning chasing my mother around the house, hounding her with terrible jokes and wisecracks. I was ultimately sent off to my room with a stuff toy and was told to harass it instead.

The evening was a lot more fun. I went out (surprisingly, for the first time since my vacations started two days ago.) with a friend who needed to get some shopping done for his trip to Hampi, Kerala. It was funny to be dragged around as a shopping assistant to a boy. (I did have my fun, though. Asking someone to try on pink shorts has never been more hilarious.)

Today's picture is of three pairs of socks I picked up during this entertaining adventure. Or, as my mom so rightly says, 6 socks. I present to you, Mili, my sporting-and-half-asleep cat who most willingly modeled these socks for me. They are beautiful. Aah new socks. My toes tingle in delight. As I tossed them into my sock bag, the other socks glared in envy. As I closed my cupboard, I could almost hear their old voices whisper, "She's going to de-pair and up-stink you tomorrow.", followed by croaking squeals of sadistic laughter. Perhaps I ought to give my old socks more love.

Day Seven

Nothing much happened today. I woke up, took a nice dump, brushed my teeth and ate food. (Maybe I shouldn't have put all those things in the same sentence.)
Anyway, in the evening after Ilina came home from school, we were both very hungry. So we ordered from McDonald's and I shamelessly asked for a Large Masala Grill Meal with Piri-Piri fries. Keeping to their trusty promise of delivering within 29minutes, our food arrived soon after. We distributed the contents.

She walked hastily to her room, her hands full of delicious edibles. The tops of the fries popping out of their cover teased her arm as she walked. She set down the glass of coke, burger, fries and masala on the little cupboard by her window. There, in the afternoon light filtering in through the curtains, her food gleamed in yellow splendor. She emptied her fries into a paper bag, adding the intended masala generously and then gave it a good shake. She shook the little paper bag to an unknown beat, listening to the fries bump against each other and the walls of the bag. She could almost hear the crunch as the aroma from the spices seemed to penetrate from the paper to her nose. She opened the bag to expose slender, gorgeous french fries, each covered uniformly in red spices. She took a long piece and bit into it. An explosion of flavour spread over her tastebuds like hyacinth over a still lake.

My picture for today is that greasy, fattening, over-filling, indulgent meal.
(My stomach still complains.)

Day Six

Today was my first day of summer vacation. So I was lazy.

I sat at my laptop and watched Sherlock. I watched the second episode from season three. To say that I was fangirling from start to finish would be an understatement. That episode, just like every other one and even more so, was full of sharp, witty dialogue that flew between Holmes and Watson at lightening speed. The plot, the direction, the acting, the production, the cinematography are nothing short of brilliant. I drooled onto my laptop watching that show's sensuous personality.

To top it all, I had a bowl full of Maggi and a whole lot of banana chips to help make use of all the saliva I was generating.

Presenting the stunning Holmes. Pum Pa-raaa!

Day Five

Ilina and I decided to give each other a project to do during a moment of acute boredom. I told her that she must write about M*A*S*H and she agreed provided I write about Phineas And Ferb. We then set out to make full fledged projects of it and got caught up in cut outs and ideas and brain storming. These projects are due to each other in two days as per our agreement.

Today's picture is of our cover pages. It's so much fun to be unpretentious and silly.

Day Four

Today's picture is one of a whole bunch of my notes. I spent the day studying for my last paper tomorrow. It has been a long, tough day, and studying made me feel better. Endless formulae and sums kept me from losing my mind when bitter thoughts were filling it fast. This post may seem nerdy, but today, studying made me happy.

Day Three

Today was my father's 50th birthday. To celebrate, we loaded into the car and left the city with Chaplin, our crooked spaniel. 

Choosing my favourite moment from today has been difficult. What made me most happy? Was it singing loudly to music in the car? Was it eating salted peanuts on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway? Was it the vada pav we stopped to eat along the way? The picturesque countryside? The quaint, brick house we spent the day in? The simple dal-rice-paapad we shared for lunch? Watching Chaplin jump into every stream and pond along the way? Running with him until I felt like my legs would fall off? Swimming in a river with my family and Chaplin? Hot cups of tea after drying off? Unraveling of birthday presents? Carrom on the balcony? Egrets flying gracefully in the lush greenery? The sunset?

After much thought, I found, looking for the best of all of today's moments is a ridiculous thing to do. How can I grade and rank today's happenings? Today, all of today, made me happy.

Today's photo is one of me swimming alongside Chaplin. Something I haven't done in years. The reason I chose this moment is because it gave me the chance to bond with and love this dog, this brother of mine, the way he deserves to be bonded with and loved. Watching him lose himself in the water, swimming against the current, lapping up the clear water, thoroughly delighted me. Sharing his joy added to both my excitement and his.