Thotzzzz

It's been 150 days since I landed in this awesome city-San Diego.Pure fun in the sun.Looking back here is a random collection of the sweet moments,crankiness,lessons learnt and changes gone thru.

1. A broad smile and a 'Good morning' from a stranger really brightens up the day.

2. I still dont get it why hot dogs are named so, it is neither hot nor is there a dog in it..yikess..

3. So far the wildest thing I have done in my life was done out here in San Diego,went kayaking in the deep blue Pacific!!! An amazing sensation to be held captive by the raging ocean and the still sky.With the kayak swaying in the waves twas quite a thrill to know there are some tiger sharks close by and be reminded now and then that I hardly know to swim

4. 'Gracias' is the only spanish word I've picked up.Otherwise to me it is tongue-twister and a nose-blocker.No offence meant blame my poor language learning skills

5. Dogs like people come in all shapes and also with strange voices.Smaller the dog shriller the bark.

6. I have completely fallen in love with the writings of Nathaniel Hawthorne.

7. Voicing one's opinion doesnt work well always.Had had a bad eye on a couple of occassions :)

8. Now this one calls for a party..I can cook!!!!...cook well!!! from fried rice to vegetable kurma, pakore to bisebelabath,sambhar and chutney all in style.:) and ..and...delicious chicken.My cooking skills always had negative rating ah but that was before 100 days;)

9. Talk a lot with your friends and a lot less about them.

10. Holding the door open for somebody is really cool..

11. I've managed to survive without the hot cup of coffee early in the morning :).Narasus kaappi besh besh ..romba miss panreaen

12. Haven't typed a single message on my mobile yet.

13. Met more ABC's than americans.

14. Done a lot of thinking on the sermons preached in church.Sundays have become more meaningful.

15. One can loose a lot of money on a highway call phone even before the call gets through.

16. For the first time experienced what 'unity in diversity' meant;and how unique it is in us Indians, when there is a Hindi-wallah,telugite, mallu and a few tamilians hanging out together.Each speaking in their own language in an effort to teach the other.A clasic blend with a noisy touch.

17. Thai is just Indian food with an extra dose of rice noodles and a lot of red and green bell pepper.Mexican food is too many sauces with a cup of beans.Italian is pastas in all colors.Hawaiian is too little to even mention..

18. Weather forecaters here are always right.. rain or shine.. unlike Madras Metereological society.

19. I miss the airtel ringtone on my mobile phone.

20. Conversing with people who understand neither English nor sign language is a challenge.You offer a handshake with a hello she'd give you a solemn bow and say her cat is not well!! ..now does hello rhyme with meoww by any chance..

21. Old people like to smile often and pass on sweet blessings.

22. It such a relief to live in a clean city without the 'Keep your city clean' hoardings all over the place..thats quite a mess by itslef

23. Work while you work and play while you play.Time management is a fun-thing to do.

23. Spent considerable time wondering if the crows here ever poop while in the air.hmm do they take a break to visit nest restrooms on some tree.

24. Clean air and a beautiful landscape is a blessing.

25. we speak in Pounds and farenheit but think in kilograms and centigrades.Voila! the Indian brain is quick man ;)

It was just another Friday evening stepped out of work with a 'donno know what to do next' mood.I heard my mobile ring announcing there is something good brewing at home,weekend planning is usually a series of phone calls and off we wud go on a sudden trip.Before I could say 'Hello' the voice on the other end announced,'Heyyy! hurry we are going to the beach in an hour'.I said ok.click.A smile on my face.

After an hour we were heading north.It was a winding road edged with tall trees an occasional rise and fall in the terrain.One such rise in the road revealed a beautiful skyline dotted with colorful air balloons.For a couple moments I imagined myself on one of them..looking down from up above on par with the drifiting clouds just a closer look at the fluff and puff.In a few minutes we pulled up and in front of us lay the majestic Pacific sunkissed and silent.It was a perfect evening... with the sun shying away slowly.. we were a dazzled group silently watching the mighty ball descend.The wide canvas, a perfect picture beautifully colored in shades of orange, purple and red.Just then a group of birdies in their best v-style flew past.A sponaneous flash of Jonathan Livinstone seagull.As the sun dipped low there was an urge within me wanting it to rise above a li'l bit for just another glimpse unwilling to let go the beauty.And then it struck how unredeemable time and events are! :p With the purple sky casting its spell we stepped into the chill waters.We trotted the shoreline in deep silence a group of 5 people relishing each moment lost in the spectacle put up by nature.As the waves swept my feet it was as Nathanial Hawthorne says - "there is something in the encounter(with the waves) that makes the heart flutter with a strangely pleasant sensation"

In a distance were a group of kids gigling and shouting enjoying the cool sea breeze and slimy sand.The sea was receeding increasing their play area..sand buckets and castles soon crowded the beach.To see one's footprints in the sand evokes a fascination, every step followed by a keen glance.Footprints beside sea shells and pebbles and then you are invariably drawn to pick a few of them reminiscence of chilhood days of how these stuffs used to be treasured.. drawing pleasure out of nostalgia!!.With the mist slowly descending we saw the lone fisherman cast his rod in a new location.He was patience personified but yet focussed.we hurried to have a look at his bounty with little hope of finding any fish..but boy! it was full with fishes in all shapes and color.Was all the patience we saw on his face for that last fish of the day!!.. Ah!this is what hobbies can do to men :)

The cold air forced us out of the beach but nevertheless the evening at Solana beach was worth every bit.Allowing oneself to be immeresed in nature was more solace than anything else.With no serious thoughts it was a simple but powerful remainder of the Reason behind the excellence.



Afterthought : Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose