October Fest

Tullamarine International Airport
Taxi Rank.
23:15 hours

The dark grey clouds had just given way to the moon. As I waited for the taxi to come to the 4th stand, I rubbed my hands to generate an ounce of heat to beat the numbing cold. I checked my baggage behind me. Got in the taxi. "175, Intersection of Collins & Swanston Street" - my destination. As the lone road appeared in front of me, I veered to the side and saw the distant lights of Melbourne twinkling over the Yarra. I knew what I was going to do in the coming days ahead. I reflected upon the past 7 days. Every moment of the past week had become precious to me.

The journey from Aus to Home, the thoughts I had when I was over the clouds, the moment I reached home, the hour-long wait to sleep planning my 7-day life at home, the bloody B'lore traffic which took 10-12 hours off my precious time(no hard feelings there), the pretty gals back home, visit by my close friends, the pani-puri stall at our old 'adda', the tingling aroma of old books, the dried & fragile flower that fell from between the sheets, memories of yore, the pictures in the album which stick to the cover, and the ones you want to take out and have a closer look, Mom's food (gosh! I cant force back the tears, why do Mom's food hv be so good!!!) , just being in ur room where u grew up wow thts a gr8 feeling, seeing ur sibling grow up along with ya, the disappearing grounds where we spent our summer holidays playing the games of our lives, a glimpse of the school where you had a dreamy life, the night sky has its own charm from your home terrace ,,, (more on this later) ...

Well all this in a short(indeed) span of bloody 7 days. I wish I was not working... I can only wish.

Quite a trip. 7 days for myself(or so I thought). 2 days in travel. 2 days in office. 1 day for shopping. And remaining 2 days for the family. Who the hell travels on Diwali day? Well I was travelling. Scr*w me :x Well thts what u gotta compromise on when you are out to win the world.

Had lot of plans when I went to India on a week long holiday trip...
1. Will spend more time with parents.
2. Re-Live old times with pals.
3. Complete pending diary entries.
4. New strategies for the coming months
5. A new self-SWOT analysis (Its been quite a while)
6. Its not a bed of roses after all.

You cannot view life through rose-tinted glasses. It has a strange way of bringing you down to the dust. But then you start again, you know that. A new day beckons with a new promise and new aspirations. I look up at the crescent moon in boyish wonder sitting quaintly in the far reaches of the stratosphere (well ... a bit far from that) You get a feeling of contentment. A simple nod of the head brings a world of confidence for the upcoming events. I raise an imaginary toast to myself.

The city lights grow brighter & nearer. Gotto catch up with my 'Daily Life'. Home was special. You can never get enough of it. But in my case it was rather short. Wanted to hang-out more with my friends. Wanted to spend more time with Mom & Dad and listen to their life's little stories. Wanted to experience my hometown a bit more. I guess thats what life is. You need to have that 'bit more' in everything you do or you are to get the best meaning.

Well a gr8 trip ends and another begins.

The Psychedelic Moment

It was a sleep that I had never experienced before. Old memories revisited. Elongated sleep. Each breath u take was heavy. U close ur eyes in contemplation. Strange faces. Were they ghosts or were they ppl I knew once. Will I be able to see them again. Random images from my past life or were they of this very life which happened years before.

Vivid pictures of victories come floating to me. Moments of quiet confidence wrap me over. Its now or never. U only live only once, one chance to be the one, one shot @ life, one opportunity to live this moment. A clenched fist shoots into the dusky evening.

I wake up with a shiver. A scream escapes my mouth. FUUU*****K. The table clock reads 3:25 AM. I force my eye-lids to close to calm myself, as if the elements of uneasiness were trickling out of me. Slowly, I wake up to myself. Walk upto the balcony. My 8th floor apmt isnt high enough to silence the ruckus created by the night revellers after the Saturday night parties. I look up against the Melbourne skyline. Dawn was still a couple of hours away. The stars were still twinkling. I still remember my successful attempt years ago to create an imaginary square in the sky and trying to count the stars in that. Was the count 205 or 235. Well whatever. I smile and feel the familiar tingling sensation. I brush my face against my right shoulder.

Unaware of my psychedelic mood I forget that the coffee had become cold. I take the sip through anyway. I realize that I forgot to put in the sugar. Feeling lazy to get up to get the sugar I struggle thru the coffee. I shake my head on the dream that had put me in this altered state of mind. Its been close to 3 months since I had left home to come here. I remembered the last day before I left. My friends, my parents, my quiet moment of prayer. Scenes straight out of a movie? Well it was one that day. The feeling is becoming sweeter or was it the coffee taste! I peer into my cup and see undissolved sugar crystals staring at me. Feeling helpless to let them go waste I lift the cup like a trophy and let them flow onto my taste buds. Hmmm... time for a Rahman composition or a ColdPlay number or a Pink Floyd master piece... I settle for ColdPlay's dreamy number - 'White Shadows' ...

"When I was a young boy I tried to listen
And I wanna feel like that
Little white shadows, blink and miss them
Part of a system I am

..."


(Catch d rest of the lyrics here... jus amazing)