Friday, December 17, 2010

The 31st thing OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you for your interest in volunteering as a Marshal for the Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix on 30th October 2011 at Noida, Delhi. The Indian Motorsports Marshals Club (IMMC) has received an unusually large number of requests from enthusiasts in India and the rest of the world.

Based on the information you have provided, IMMC is pleased to inform you that you have been selected for the preliminary shortlist.

As Stage-2 of this process, we now require you to fill in an online application and provide all the details requested for, in full. Your application will then be reviewed and you will hear from us again. To apply for Stage-2 online, please click on the link below (you will need a soft copy of your photograph to apply):

               http://www.immc.in/xxxx

If clicking the above link does not work, please copy and paste the entire link text into your browser address bar.

This email is specific to your application and is not valid if forwarded to anyone else. Also, please do not reply to this email, as we will not be able to respond to messages sent to this address.

With best wishes,

-----------------
IMMC Team

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

The 30th thing- Revolutions

THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IIIIIIIIIIIIIII LOOOVVVVE THE MOOOVIIIEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!! THE TRILOGY IS AMAAAAZING!!!!!!!!! VAMOS NEO!!!! :P


Wednesday, December 8, 2010

The 29th thing- :O



















I HAVE AN ALIBI!! Honest!!! On the said date, my internals had just ended (ended at 1300 hours) and I was with my friends at Pizza Hut maybe like forty-five minutes later (maybe like at 1345 hours) so there's no way I could've parked "illegally" at "K R Road Junction Basavanagudi" at "1402 hours"! (I am being framed.)

Saturday, November 6, 2010

The 28th thing- Dreamt of Rafa again!!

Yeeeaaahhhh! Dreamt of Rafa again :) he's such a nice guy you know.. at least in my dreams.
Since I had the dream two nights ago, I'd feel very childish if I write about it in detail.
   I was invited to someone's house, and I was following someone who'd lead me to it, I noticed Rafa playing tennis very close by! I was almost walking past him then, I said, "Oh my god!" and my hand went up to my mouth. Rafa looked up, and I instinctively waved and said "Hi!". He smiled, and he waved back! I then walked a few steps, still stunned that I had just seen Rafa Nadal, let alone spoke to him! And then, I looked back, wondering if he'd still be there.. he was! AND he looked up at me just when I looked back, so I again waved and said "Bye!" and lol! he waved again!! And I walked ahead a little more, and turned back again, he looked up again! And I said "Bye!" again, and he looked very amused and patiently waved again!! See he was practicing tennis against a wall, with a coach watching over him, so he'd wave with his right hand everytime I greeted him! And this happened one more time! I then walked ahead, still following that someone, determined not to turn back. Just when I reached the entrance of the mansion, I glanced back, knowing for sure now that he wasn't going to look up, he was a bit far away too, and I saw on his face intense focus and determination and he hit the tennis ball which was mindblowing. I mean, just a while ago he was taking the pains not to disappoint a hard core fan everytime she interrupted his training, and just in a matter of about ten seconds he was hitting the ball as though nothing but the ball and his strike existed in his universe. I admire that  alot about you Rafa.. Vamos :) y hablo un poco de espanol para tu :P might be grammatically wrong sometimes but i'm learning a bit.. Ochenta y dos marcas en el examen :)
GO RAFAAA!! (Fiercelyloyalfansigningoff)

Saturday, October 30, 2010

The 27th thing-

"After a while you don’t necessarily watch your favorites play tennis because of the tennis they play. Heck, sometimes you watch despite it. Chances are, your interest started with some match, forehand or tactic then grew into something bigger, less tangible, more inexplicable. There’s a reason ‘fan’ is short for ‘fanatic’—the word once meant ‘insane person’." -Peter Bodo on Elena Dementieva.
Sorry to hear that you're retiring Elena.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

The 26th thing. Me duele la cabeza. Un poco.

Yo estudie espanol todo el dia hoy. Estoy muy cansado. Este is para te Rafa.

Friday, October 22, 2010

The 25th thing. Rafaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

You'd come to Andra Pradesh during my internals!!! :( :( :(

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

The 24th thing. Halo vs I See You

I was comparing the two songs today in class, telling my good friend what I felt about them. I started off with why Halo was obviously popular with him. Its a song, a powerful song, based on trust and strength, and also the strength of trust. I've always thought that its a song that somehow heals. It's never failed to cheer me up on many occasions when I've listened to it.
I See You on the other hand, I took some time getting used to; it sounded like a good song theoretically. But then the more I listened to it and the closer I got to it, images of the fantasy land of Pandora were reconstructed in my mind. And I fell in love with Pandora when I watched the movie. I loved the close ties the Na'vi had with nature. The beauty of the exotic plants and soft, comforting glows emitted by those strange-beautiful-floating-things-whose-name-I-can't-remember. I started to pay more attention to the lyrics. I've not completely analyzed it and I might be wrong, but I feel the song's about love and complete devotion and entrusting oneself to another and experiencing love through the other's perspective. Halo on the other hand is (probably) about how the lady lets a person into her life, not finding a reason to shut him out, finding that she needed him. Halo speaks about a very realistic emotion: you want to trust, you're doubtful because you don't want to be hurt, but then you do, and experience happiness. I See You is faaar less complicated: She loved him. And he her.
Halo might be more widely appreciated. Halo is real. I See You is surreal. You need to be lucky enough to be able to enjoy it. Halo grips you and makes you pay attention. I See You surrounds you like tiny wisps of gathering smoke, delicate. You stand still and enjoy it. Distraction will cause that beauty to fade away.
When I started off with the title, I wanted to end on this note: Halo and I See You are such wonderful songs, and cannot be compared as they are not on the same platform! Both have emotions experienced differently! Beyonce sounds fantastic and is involved in the song, to me Leona Lewis feels enchanted and captured and hypnotized by the song into a dream like state, and has let the song play with her instead. Her singing is absolutely beautiful, the heartfelt cry and the gentle caresses. Both have made their songs such a success with me. I love the universality of Halo, and the exclusivity of I See You.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

The 23rd thing- Puerility

I like my blog. I like my laptop. I like Rafa. I like sitting. I like feeling slight soreness in my limbs after badminton. I like being childish. I like being bossy. I like to read. I like to listen. I like to think. I like to type. I like to laugh and the fact that laughter is contagious. I like to speak. I like to wield my crystal sword and drive a supercar and race and meet Rafa and own Kimi which means I like to dream. I like bournvilles. I like my friends. I like green. I like my family. I like calling people dumbass and guldu. I like watching really good movies preferably with Christian Bale in them. I like honesty. I like my iT. I like the smell of a car the moment you open the door and sit in it. I like certain characters in books more than I should. I like music. I like to imagine. I like practicality. I like my muscles. I like to pretend to lose in arm wrestling matches with this really thin friend just to boost her self confidence. I like to whistle. I like to wash my bike which means keeping it parked outside while it rains. I like praising my own badminton shots. I like The 23rd thing.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

The 22nd thing- Why today was so awesome

1. Rafa won. Big win. Career Grand Slam.
2. Coll ended early (as it does on Tuesdays).
3. Began badminton early.
4. Coach trained us today a lot more thanks to Amte.
5. Getting new guts for my badminton racquet. Hope sir makes it awesome.
6. Music class was very good.
7. Vignesh said he's give me my Gone With The Wind tomorrow.
8. I can sleep well knowing that I can wake up late.

The 21st thing- Some more Rafa

Well, I'm about to collapse as I type this. Very tired. So very proud. That Rafa has played fantastic tennis. Not just in the finals of the USO. But right from the time he won the French Open. Back then I was a nervous wreck. I simply did not want him to lose. He did not deserve to lose at all. The emotional and physical stresses he went through. His parents' divorce. Tendonitis problems. Critics having more than just a go at him. "Will RN ever come back?" I remember the pain I went through. I could not accept the fact that his career might go kaput. He was so young. Had so much more to accomplish. And I couldn't understand why the world did not mourn with me. It hadn't accepted as easily as I had that Nadal was one of the tennis greats. After winning 4 French Open titles and 2 at Wimbledon and even 1 Australian Open title, he had, bafflingly, not made a major impression in the tennis world. Oh he was considered very very good, but not of the best yet, not good enough to have the potential to be a legend. One reason I loved Rafa was for his immense mental strength. The fact that he shuts out the past (immediate even), digs deep, and does what he does best with passion. He climbed those mountains surely and steadily, taking it a step at a time, being sure footed (almost like a Capricorn!) and remaining beautifully modest all the while. And what came out was a never done before 6 time straight Monte Carlo wins, his favoured French Open Title (no he wouldn't say he was No 1 yet), Wimbledon, and, when there was only one question left for everybody to ask of Rafa, Could he win the ever elusive US Open title, he answers. Finally, because the response towards Rafa's victory feels so different, Rafa is out of Federer's shadow. Everyone says now as to how incredible Rafa has been this year, without making references to the fact that Federer was not at his best. Finally, Rafa has his own pedestal to stand on. And finally, I can go to bed cuz I'm done writing and I so badly wanted to express my immense pride, however done.

The 20th thing- Rafael Nadal

I of course wanted to write something about Rafa winning the US Open and what that has done to the world of tennis, but I read this article on Tennis.com by Peter Bodo and I'm pasting that instead. I felt it does more justice to this iconic event that I could ever do.


The Longest Journey by Peter Bodo

The journey began humbly enough in 2004, when Rafael Nadal was just a stringy-haired, urchin-like youth of 18 and a champion for the first time in an ATP main tour event in Sopot, Poland. He seemed, even then, cut from different cloth than most of his rivals young or old—a kid who brought an arched eyebrow and smile of amusement to the face of any tennis fan who laid eyes on him. Who was this boy who appeared to have been raised by wolves and schooled in the game by someone who might have known much, but none of it about tennis? 
Nobody who understood the strokes and bio-mechanics of tennis would tolerate, never mind teach, that wild bolo forehand. That backhand? The stroke conjured the image of a Medieval monk thrusting aloft a cross to ward off a vampire. The serve? It looked all wrong; it seemed a rushed, minimalist push bearing no resemblance to the leisurely, leonine action of a Pete Sampras, or the explosive delivery of a Goran Ivanisevic.
When Nadal won the French Open in 2005, the first time he ever played at Roland Garros, it was easy to dismiss the accomplishment as yet another proof that the red clay encouraged an eccentricity upon which any well-bred tennis enthusiast or player might frown. It was charming, in a provincial kind of way, and the boy (a right-hander prevailed upon to play as a lefty—who could imagine such a thing?) might win often on that bedeviling clay. He could become one of those familiar one-trick ponies who would never amount to much on a court that he left with his socks clean. You had to admit, though, that he was a speedy little bugger, and persistent as a rash.
But as many any Alpinist can tell you, you don't think of the summit on a long and arduous climb. You just think about the next step, and then the next—the longest and most difficult journey always begins with a single step. So it was that Nadal set forth, and today he finished one of the longest journeys imaginable when he completed a career Grand Slam by yanking the U.S. Open title right out of the hands of a reconstructed Novak Djokovic. It may not serve the purpose of this theme very well, but the journey was relatively swift; Nadal has a career Grand Slam at age 24. But don't for a moment assume that the distance ever seemed short, or the obstacles less than formidable.
It was fitting that Nadal's quest to join his pal Federer in what is now the exclusive seven-man Career Slam Club would end on the sea-blue, rock-hard plain of Arthur Ashe stadium, because it's always best to take challenges in the order of their difficulty, building to the most hazardous one. Not that any were easy.
We had an inkling of things to come when Nadal won Wimbledon for the first time in 2008. It was a surprise diluted to some extent by the fact that Nadal had reached two finals in London before he won, and he played the same opponent on all three occasions. Roger Federer took the grass almost as naturally as Nadal took to the clay, so there were those who thought that after falling painfully short of beating Federer at Wimbledon those first two times, Nadal probably never would do it. They said that about Ivan Lendl, too, back in the day. Only in Ivan's case, it turned out to be true.
Nadal finally did it, though, and it turns out that the prized triumph at Wimbledon was not nearly the big ask that most people predicted. Nadal explained why that was so today, when contemplating his journey. "Is true I have to adjust my game to play in Wimbledon, but in my opinion, play in Wimbledon for me always wasn't that bad, because one of the most important things on Wimbledon is movements, and I think my movements are good to play well on that surface. The surface help me [also] because my serve was not that good as I have today, and with less serve I can do the same, the same to the opponent as what I can do today—especially at this tournament."
In other words, Nadal's serve was always more of a weapon on grass, and it enabled him to win more easy points.
After winning the grass-court major in 2008, Nadal turned his attention to the hard courts. Rather, Grand Slam hard courts, because by then he had already won on the cement on Indian Wells. He made his biggest, early strides on hard courts by incorporating two elements into his basic style. He realized that he had to play closer to the baseline and take the ball on the rise, and he made his life easier by developing the ability to flatten out and drive his groundstrokes deeper when the occasion called for it. Prep-work done, he was ready to knock off his first hard court major in Melbourne. "In Australia, anyway, if it's hot, the ball bounces higher," he said today. "Sure to win in here at the U.S. Open I think is the more difficult, more difficult conditions to adapt, to adjust, my game on this court, for the balls, for the court, for everything, no?"
So that left the U.S. Open, a tournament which Nadal was in the habit of playing in a state of mental or physical distress; often both. And it was the tournament that some pundits doubted he would ever win, because the surface is both fast and slick, which keeps the ball low on the bounce. The hard courts here keep his aggressive topspin shots from bouncing too high, and rob him of the ability to push back and tire an opponent. And the speed of the court also allowed opponents to serve more effectively, while denying him some of the benefits yielded by grass.
But that all changed this year. An 11th hour tweak of his grip and a new focus on the importance of the serve propelled him through this tournament. Until today's match, Nadal had been broken just twice in the tournament, and he had not lost a set. It was a tribute to the quality of Djokovic's game, and his courage, that he broke Nadal three times and prevented Nadal—if barely—from becoming the first player to win this tournament without losing a set in half a century.
Today, Nadal frequently broke the 130 mph barrier with his serve, 10 mph more than he's accustomed to getting out of the stroke. And he spoke of it almost reverently: "For me the most important thing [for the future] is try to keep serving like I did during this tournament. I think that's—if I can do it, this most of the time is gonna be a big change for me and my career, because if I have that free points that I had during all this tournament it's gonna be different for me. I can play more aggressive. I can play with more calm when I am returning. So it can change a lot.
"So that's, for me, the first very important part to keep improving. After that, I can improve everything: volley, keep improving the volley and position on the court, being more inside the court, I improved a lot since last year but never is enough, I am not a perfect player, so everybody can improve."
Like all arduous journeys, the one Nadal has taken, the one which ended tonight, has taken a toll and also transformed him—in his case, in an admirable way. So let's review: Since Nadal first won the French Open, he's learned to flatten out his strokes (when the occasion/surface requires), play from on the baseline or inside the court, added a slice backhand (it served him well at times tonight, but remains a work in progress), and boosted his service speed and proficiency. One unsung improvement: his volley. He seems to volley better by the day. There seems to be no end to the improvement of which this already iconic player is capable.
The only thing that has an end is his journey. Or at least this portion of it. But let's let him rest on his laurels before we begin to discuss his next one. He'll be the first to tell you that 16 is a big number.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Friday, July 23, 2010

The 18th thing- One of Dad's jokes

The phone rang and somebody downstairs picked up.
"Gulduuuu*?" came the call.
"He's in the baathrooom," I shouted back.
"Alright!"
Dad was close by hunched over the computer.
Dad murmured. "He's logging out."
My cousin and I giggled.
Then Dad said. "What do you think of logging in?"
My cousin and I burst out laughing.

*- Names have been changed. You can still correctly guess who Guldu is though.

Monday, July 19, 2010

The 17th thing- Sunday the 18th

 I- The Unlucky Part
      I didn't really want to go when mom asked me if I wanted to attend this Dance-Drama thing in BU. She reckoned I needed to step out of the house anyway so I got ready. Granny meanwhile was talking about the Nano car and asked me if I wanted one, I remained silent (that tiny thing isn't really my thing) and said that I liked Jazz. Dad corrected me and said that I was always supposed to mention the name of the car company that produced it and then the name of the car, "So you see its not just Jazz, its Toyota Jazz", to which I said, "Its Honda Jazz!!!" And this sparked up a little challenge. I said to him, "Bet I can name more car companies than you can!" and he laughed that off!
      So as we sat in the car we started off a game. He would name a car company and me another.. to see who would last longest (something tells me that this is not how father and daughter usually bond).
      "Maruthi" "Honda" "Toyota" "Tata" ... "Dad I think there's a bit of smoke coming off from the bonnet.." "Oh no I think its from the bus in front.. its from its exhaust" (this was Mom). "Oh alright then.. Aston Martin" "Morris and Dodge! Beat that!" "Alfa Romeo and Bentley. Easy Dad." .... "I really think there's smoke coming off the bonnet.. tiny wisps of it.. and I can smell the heated up engine too" "Really..? Hmm.. I don't see anything.. Hummer" "Is that even a car company? Never heard of it.. Chevrolet." By then we'd almost reached BU. But then, "Dad.. I'm SURE there's smoke coming off the bonnet and you'd better stop right now.. Plus there's this weird rattling noise." My dad did slow down and we entered the gates of SDB (Some Damn Building). The car was clearly in trouble now. We got down and Dad opened the bonnet and there was more smoke, with the horrid odour of heated metal (that's what I thought it was anyway) accompanying it. Dad went around the stately and spacious building looking for some water to cool off the engine. He came back with a bottle of it and then poured it into the .. radiator I think its called. With a lot off hissing, we found that our car was dying. There was green blood oozing out of the bottom (turned out it was the coolent).
      We decided there was nothing much left to do and we left the car panting for breath there and knew we had to walk a certain distance to our destination. Unfortunately, earlier on at home I thought it'd be nice to feel taller than usual and so put on some heels. And, not that I'm the complaining type or anything, was thinking out  loud how dense and black the clouds above were. And it started to rain. I couldn't run or walk fast properly.

II- The Lucky Part
      We didn't have to walk much and we soon entered BU, albeit a little sweaty and wet (me with aching feet). As soon as we entered we saw Mom's Chairman there- a certain someone I've always felt like giving a piece of my mind to for overworking my poor mother. But I think I was amicable enough. He was with Mr.R (who'd helped me get my driving license) and a driver. Dad and I left Mom chatting with them to find out that there were no seats vacant at all in the auditorium. Oh well. What a bummer. So we thought we'd happily leave (only we couldn't cuz our car was close to seeing the white light at the end of the tunnel). We came back to where Mom was to see that the chairman had a little solution. He said he'd leave his driver with us to figure out the trouble with our car. So while he drove off in his Mitsubishi, the five of us (including Mr.R) set off on foot to where we'd left our car (in SDB). This time, no rain. So we arrived there and dad asked me to go get the bottle and fill it up from a little artificial pond nearby. To do this I had to go ask some guys who were working with wooden planks and such for a bottle. Here I must say I impressed myself with my hindi. There was a guy who had the empty bottle and when I asked for it he said,
"Hame chahiye peenekeliye*.. Apko kyon?"
"Paani dalna hai isme." (Not bad Arpitha!)
"Ham kya karenge..?"
"Doosra hai kya?"  (Wow.)
"Nahi.. teeke aap vapas laiye."
"Haan." (Awesome.)
      And I filled up the bottle and took it over to where about half a dozen surgeons were now trying to bend over the examination table to diagnose our family member (the surgeons were some more workers). The problem was this- a pipe had cracked, through which water from the radiator poured out. So we couldn't drive our car home without somewhat fixing it. The driver asked for sellotape. But where could we find a stationery shop? And it also hit me that catching an auto here would be difficult too. As luck would have it, the workers produced some sellotape. They didn't have any duct tape. So the driver set about trying to fix the pipe. And then something struck me, "Dad what's that cellotape made of?" "Oh.. its made up of some paper like substance.." "Then when the engine heats won't it catch fire?" To which he said no, albeit looking slightly uncomfortable. But thankfully everyone decided to leave the car for the night, and buy the spare part tomorrow and fix it up. We left the car with an old watchman (Dad doesn't know this but Mom slipped him a 50 rupee note to do the job), saying that we'd be back the next day at 11am, and headed out. There was a bus stand right opposite SDB. I dreaded taking a messy bus full of smelly people trying to stand all the way with heels on. Again, as luck would have had it, we boarded an immediate bus to where we live, and a comfortable one at that. We even had places to sit. I looked out of the window and dreamed away, about Rafa, cars, Rafa, songs, Rafa, my new cell phone and suddenly wondered (as the bus automated voice said "Neksht shtop iish Tata Silk Form") as to what would happen if the bus broke down. Thankfully, that didn't happen. We got down at a bus stop amazingly close to our house, and walked back home.

MORAL: Don't wear heels. Ever. It will somehow make a bad day worse.
[*peenekeliye- hehehe.. PEEnekeliye! LOL!]

Sunday, July 11, 2010

The 16th thing- My first ever sketch of a car- The Audi R8

   Ok there were 5 stages to this beauty (that's what i'm calling it regardless of what you think). Stage 1 was just a slight outline of the body without wheels. 2 was a slightly detailed version with the headlights dawn in and the body shaded. 3 was um.. forgot.. nothing important i guess.. 4 was with the wheeels. :( that was tough. And 5 was most important- my damn signature.
  Had lots of fun drawing this! My brain felt mildly active!
   This drawing is inspired by my driving lessons from Dad! And also Top Gear!

Thursday, July 8, 2010

The 15th thing- Another dream

This one's obviously about Nadal too :) Had this dream last night. This is how it started off.. We ( I think Rakshith was on my right) were walking in the sun and I knew it was going to be a glorious day- how could it not be when we were at the qualifyings of an F1 Grand Prix? And, Nadal was getting ready to start off, he was the first one readying himself to whiz through the circuit. I was really surprised to see that there were very few people. Oh well maybe they'd come later when there were a little more people on the grid. So we got pretty close to where Rafa was, sitting in his car, white helmet on. As he was revving up, looking around, cool as.. well, Nadal, I shouted out, "Go Rafa!!" and to my immense joy he heard me!! He looked around, saw me, and waved (a tiny wave with his white gloved right hand)! And then I couldn't resist, I yelled out, "We'll always be there for you Rafa!!!". And he AGAIN turned around and acknowledged me and grinned I think!!!
   He set off and he was the fastest even after almost everyone had finished. I was pleased. The one who hadn't, however, was (obviously I think) Federer. He was a major threat to Nadal's lap time and he was to start soon. But rather than racing, what he was doing was, shooting hoops in a basketball court wearing baggy shorts! And he was getting close to Nadal's lap time somehow by continually slam dunking. I worried more and more by the minute, but soon he did beat Nadal's time by scoring 160 points i think :( and thats's when Roger became world number one again. I was actually glad cuz that would mean Rafa'd get some competition.
   When Nadal was done discussing tactics and such with his racing team, he came out and walked past me. And there were these skinny guys nearby who said, "Well done Rafa!! You is amazing!" and they said it with a spanish accent just to feel closer to Nadal, deliberately making the grammatical error. Nadal said, "You mean are, not is," in his own wonderful spanish tinged english that I absolutely adore. So I caught up with him and said, "Rafa I liked the way you raced alot. I think it was very nice," to which Rafa said, "I like your english alot!" and I was so flattered!! He was impressed! (Lol!)
   And we became very good friends :) He invited me over to spend time with his crew. There was Toni and some other guy. We really hit it off well. I even slept in the same hotel as them! I was in the same room as Rafa!! And we basically spent the time travelling and sitting in our room chatting. We were really really good friends you see. And all the while I was acutely aware if this feeling of immense happiness that everything was just right. While the four were chatting, one day, something happened, there was a rustle of activity, and before I knew it everyone was in a rush and packing. And Rafa said, "Here! Take loads of pics!" and threw me a camera. And I said, "What? Now?" Rafa said "Yeah! Quick cuz we don't have much time!" And I began clicking pictures madly and even when I'd taken loads and stopped he urged me on and told me never to stop clicking them.
   I woke up with the feeling of deep satisfaction that accompanies my dreams of Nadal.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

The 14h thing- My dream

April 5th
We came back from Nandi Hills yesterday and when I wanted to sleep I thought I'd listen to some music. I found my iTouch charger but not the iPod :( I looked everywhere, woke up my mom too, she didn't know where it was either. I was really tensed but I didn't complain to anyone about it though I really wanted to. Went to sleep very disturbed, knowing that I'd have nightmares about it. BUT guess what my dream was about.. :D or rather 'who' .. The one.. and only.. RAFAEL NADAL!!!!!!
  Ok so here's how it went. Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Thomas Berdych and Rafa were in the locker room. Rafa was half pissed off cuz he was injured and couldn't play well. Roddick and Berdych were acting arrogant and pissing him off even more. So I saw Rafa storming off and he walked towards me (I smiled inwardly) and was telling me in an angry tone about what idiots those guys were :). I calmed him down and he looked like he felt slightly better and walked off.
  The next day I was actually in the locker room standing next to Rafa and facing the other three. So Andy and Berdych were taunting Nadal that got me a bit annoyed at their unsportsmanlike behaviour. I finally turned to Federer, who I respect (though I might not say it often), and expected him to settle the issue. He just turned his face away like a weakling with no opinions!!! And this got me SO mad cuz I felt like he was acting like a loser by not doing the right thing, I stormed out of the locker room cursing the idiots and telling Rafa (he followed me out) that I could not IMAGINE how he put up with those shitty people! Rafa was relieved cuz now he knew that nothing was wrong with his temper or anything as they pissed off other people equally fast.. I then gave Rafa my cell phone number and I told him, "Listen, if these people get any shittier, don't hesitate to call me and tell me about it k? Cuz I can take it if you shout at me.. Just let it out and don't let them get to you and your tennis." Rafa said fine and that was it for the day.
  I remember waking up in my room the next day ( still in the dream here.. I was a hostelite and an I think Rafa and I were in the same college :) ) and I checked my cell phone (it was much better than my Moto) and I was disappointed that he hadn't called at all. I looked out of my window and saw Rafa below running up and down the stairs amidst few busy college students. He was in his tennis gear warming up for practice. So I smiled and went downstairs to meet him accidentally-on-purpose (don't judge me :) ). I was at the bottom of the huge stairs and waited for Rafa to come down again. So I was like, "Hey Rafa! Just help me up these stairs please?" And now picture this in slow motion- Rafa, wearing sleeveless, his muscles exposed, glistening slightly with sweat, extending his hand down for me to hold (few female Rafanatics would've fainted here) ... And when I did take his hand ... His was so large and so WARM!!! (I'm not blushing here ok?) And I felt so awed.. I couldn't believe it was actually happenning!! (Sigh.. It really wasn't..)
  And that's the last thing I remember. I was smiling to myself alot today. I am even now! LOL!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

The 13th thing- Nandi Hills. 2nd to 4th April '10

Nandi hills day 1
Left at 830 in the morning. Was a nice drive. Not hot. Bought grapes for 35rs. We remembered that when we'd gone with Ajay Guldu it was 20rs for a huge basket. The kids selling the grapes asked for food and stuff and it was very sad. Gave just 2 chapathis. Then wound up the hills.. Dad didn't let me drive  we reached at 1030 cuz the roads were really good. We checked in early. Lots of tame monkeys.  We had breakfast- bread omlette, which is surprisingly bread in omlette.. and we slept a lot more than walked today. Oh and there was a bit of sun. But it doesn't sting like how it does in Bangalore. It's very cool in the evenings. 
We went for a walk at around 6. First time I walked I had what felt like tiny bubbles popping in my legs which gave me a curious sense of satisfaction. Second time I walked more but felt normal. We walked down to the check in point where we checked out places like Tipus Summer Palace, which is dingy and the rooms are locked (though mom and I did discover Tipus private pooping place), Amritha Sarovar, a deep sort of well with descending stairs.
When we were walking back up I found myself making few badminton lifting shots Now and then :P even my parents didn't notice. And I've been eating like a MONSTER!!!  drank juice and had sooo much fried rice for dinner. Didn't like lunch. Listening to music now. Really liking Dont Bring Me Down by BEP. Listening to Good Enough by Evanescence now. Piano and violin sound really good here. Oooh now it's Say All I Need 
 signing off. :P


Nandi hills day 2
I don't get it!!! The fried rice that I loved last night smelt so bad this afternoon that I nearly puked!! I dunno if it was because I had yelniru earlier (now that was really tasty). So I just had some mildly disgusting lassi and some parle g biscuits, finished reading Frankensteine (finally. Tragic story. Not romantic as it says at the back) and went to sleep. Woke up a bit tired and in the middle of a weird and slightly disturbing dream. Went to a temple, wearing my BMSCE Telecomm tshirt. Liked the rocky terrain (since I'm a sure footed mountain goat. Ahem. Capricorn) and had some toasted bread in Hotel Ranjitha- Veg- North Indian, South Indian and "Chinise". (reminded of Inspector Clouseau- you zink I don't spik Chineeze??). There was no idli that had tasted like heaven this morning. Mom took Emergency Refresher LMNLMNLM-EENN. Tasted like lemon flavoured hand wash soap. Found out that CSK scored a whopping 256!
We then went for a walk. Had a nice time. It had grown dark by then. A tiny village with twinkling lights was laid out before us. We came back to our room and ordered some dinner. There's been a power cut. Sitting on the stairs underneath the stars. Dad and the manager are having their nightly chat. :) Devil signing off :)

Nandi hills facts (not necessarily fun)
1. The manager seems to be bored with the hill station life. Is eager to talk with the lodgers and will divulge personal facts concerning the lakhs of rupees that they make in Nandi and how it is spent. Useful for IPL updates.
2. The monkeys have attitude. When encountered on a narrow road they expect you to make way for them. They will perch dangerously on walls that have signs clearly stating - Sitting And Leaning Against The Wall Is Prohibitted.
3. Dogs are friendly. Though they don't have the gumption to face the monkeys with the aforesaid attitude.
4. Novels that have been hard to finish reading can be completed.