Wednesday, August 23, 2006
July 2006
was with my parents and my sis for an entire month... went tubing... went to an aquatic amusement park... went on the scariest ride 'cliffhanger'... organized a garage sale and sold everything... fell ill... went swimming... tried to learn tennis and almost died of exhaustion... yummy! dunkin donuts... ate mexican food... ate indian food... made a lot of tea...of course, shopped a whole load... watched a tamil, hindi and english movies... went to philadelphia... met my two cute lil nephews... and my cousins and aunts and uncles... and sheena and brute... redocorated mami´s living room... blogged... submitted my work on time... read a lil... sang songs... did not cook (tea does not count, that´s boiling only)... washed very few clothes... did wash vessels... gave alot of free fashion advice... talked lots to my sis... fought lots with my sis... bugged her a lot with my kisses... also did window shopping... met so many people i´d only heard of earlier... went house looking... took a lot of photos... dressed up... lazed around... slept late and woke up even later...watched pirates of the carribean and rang de basanti (mentioned here since i liked both)... bought a lot of gifts... played rummykub and life... sulked, cried and laughed... went to auburn... met my cousin... visited her department and labs... met a friend after three years... took silly photos and videos... saw a fireworks show... went to a temple... got pampered... went to amma´s school... merratafied one devil... helped my sis with babysitting... and so much more...
Ferias de Alcalá
We are celebrating the Ferias de Alcalá this week (18 august - 27 august). what does that mean? that means lot´s of cultural programmes, competitions, concerts, lot of people, lot of drinking and lot of partying.
the drinking thing is an extreme. At 1:30 in the afternoon free sangría is given out at the Plaza! At 1:30 p.m!!!
And when i asked some Alcalaínos why they celebrate the ferias, the answer was, "Para divertirnos!"(To have fun!)
The real reason is because on the 24rth it is the Día del santo patron of Alcalá (San Bartolomé).
here are some photos of the inauguration. i don´t particularly like them but anyway.
i like this one, reminds of the roadside stalls outside the exhibition grounds in hyderabad
the drinking thing is an extreme. At 1:30 in the afternoon free sangría is given out at the Plaza! At 1:30 p.m!!!
And when i asked some Alcalaínos why they celebrate the ferias, the answer was, "Para divertirnos!"(To have fun!)
The real reason is because on the 24rth it is the Día del santo patron of Alcalá (San Bartolomé).
here are some photos of the inauguration. i don´t particularly like them but anyway.
i like this one, reminds of the roadside stalls outside the exhibition grounds in hyderabad
List
Usually i´m too lazy to do this stuff but found it here and even though i have to much stuff to post i thought i should do this atleast once in my life. Really don´t think anyone´s going to read the entire list, it´s just for me.
Instructions:
Bold the ones you did.
* the ones you want to do.
the more stars the more desperately you wanna do it
01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins*
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid*
06. Held a tarantula*
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it (many a times and *********)
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise(many a times and ******)
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa*
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg*
19. Slept under the stars***
20. Changed a baby's diaper (don´t particularly want to do it!)
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon *
22. Watched a meteor shower *
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment (who hasn´t)
27. Had a food fight (no way!)
28. Bet on a winning horse (i don´t bet)
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb*
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster*
35. Hit a home run / a six
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking(many a times)*
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment(so many times, in fact, just yesterday! and of course, *************************************)
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 10 provinces (?)
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk (many a times and don´t want to do it ever again)
42. Had amazing friends (and have amazing friends and *****)
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales *
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing*
49. Midnight walk on the beach***
50. Gone sky diving *
51. Visited Ireland *
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan**
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke******
59. Lounged around in bed all day*******
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain *
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China ***
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites***
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married (Thank god no!)
73. Been in a movie (a short film)
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice ***
80. Gotten a tattoo*
81. Rafted the Snake River *
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage***
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark*
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand ***
90. Bought a house***
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of your parents (i don´t like this one!)
93. Been on a cruise ship*
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking***
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote article for a large publication (not yet, but hopefully soon and ****************)
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane*
109. Petted a stingray*
110. Broken someone's heart (don´t know)
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari***
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild*
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon***
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents***
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days *
126. Eaten kangaroo meat*
127. Eaten sushi *
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about (i hope so)
130. Gone back to school *******
131. Parasailed**
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey*
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language**
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair (at a school fair, it counts doesn´t it?)
146. Dyed your hair (coloured it)*
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head (i may in May)*
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life
Instructions:
Bold the ones you did.
* the ones you want to do.
the more stars the more desperately you wanna do it
01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins*
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid*
06. Held a tarantula*
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it (many a times and *********)
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise(many a times and ******)
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa*
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg*
19. Slept under the stars***
20. Changed a baby's diaper (don´t particularly want to do it!)
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon *
22. Watched a meteor shower *
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment (who hasn´t)
27. Had a food fight (no way!)
28. Bet on a winning horse (i don´t bet)
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb*
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster*
35. Hit a home run / a six
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking(many a times)*
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment(so many times, in fact, just yesterday! and of course, *************************************)
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 10 provinces (?)
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk (many a times and don´t want to do it ever again)
42. Had amazing friends (and have amazing friends and *****)
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales *
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing*
49. Midnight walk on the beach***
50. Gone sky diving *
51. Visited Ireland *
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan**
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke******
59. Lounged around in bed all day*******
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain *
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China ***
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites***
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married (Thank god no!)
73. Been in a movie (a short film)
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice ***
80. Gotten a tattoo*
81. Rafted the Snake River *
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage***
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark*
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand ***
90. Bought a house***
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of your parents (i don´t like this one!)
93. Been on a cruise ship*
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking***
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote article for a large publication (not yet, but hopefully soon and ****************)
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane*
109. Petted a stingray*
110. Broken someone's heart (don´t know)
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari***
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild*
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon***
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents***
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days *
126. Eaten kangaroo meat*
127. Eaten sushi *
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about (i hope so)
130. Gone back to school *******
131. Parasailed**
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey*
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language**
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair (at a school fair, it counts doesn´t it?)
146. Dyed your hair (coloured it)*
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head (i may in May)*
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Independence Day
To celebrate this occasion, the Embassy of India organized a programme of Indian dances at the Plaza Mayor, Madrid.
All Members of the Indian Community and All Friends of India in Spain were invited to see the programme.
Bharat Natyam by Tatyana Popova. She´s from Kazhakstan who studied in Kalakshetra around 15 years!
Bollywood style dance by Silvia and Isabel. Their first dance was fun but after dancing to 2-3 songs we were just too bugged. I mean, it was like they didn´t want to get off the stage.
Flamenco Performance by Pepa Chacon. Good guitarrist and singer, amazing voice she has, but the flamenco dancer was just not worth it. Sad!... and by the way, don´t know why there was a flamenco perfomance on our Independence day. Perhaps a Kathak-flamenco fusion would have been better.
Bollywood Masala by Masala Group. Finally an Indian face! This was really fun now. Just like in the movies.
Bhangra by Surinder Singh and company. Punjabi fun.
Bhangra, Bollywood and Masala join to invite Public to the mass dance. Best part of the programme. All of us danced.
Vote of Thanks. A necessary formality.
Plus points:
Very friendly and humble Ambassador. Sat with everyone else on the ground. Accepted the idea of asking people to move back and sit on the ground so more could see the stage.
Nice audience. Very appreciative and participative
Free show organized in the centre of Madrid.
Met a long lost friend from JNU.
Enjoyed some forgotten songs again.
Cute bhangra dancing guy.
Not plus points:
No chairs (bad organization).
Weak programme, lacked quality... why flamenco? why so few programmes?
Same problems with loud speakers (the keech sounds and of course they were blaring).
I don´t know why i´m so negative these days.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Well, here we go again. I just mentioned to someone that i have studies spanish and that i´m going to be a spanish teacher.
As in, first it was like:
Me: i´m writing my dissertation.
The other: working or studying?
Me: studying. to be a spanish teacher.
Other : really cool
(and goes on to ask some more questions like: are you in spain?, in india, how long?, is it in demand?, marriage plans? etc.)
But 'Other' can´t control it.
Now Other: if u dont mind then can i ask u something.......why have u chosen spanish..and further studies in it...
I have no grudges against 'Other'. i´m just writing this cause it´s always bugged me.
I mean, i hate that question. It´s not curiosity. It´s just saying "you´re dumb", "what´s the point in that?" etc.
Does anyone ever ask a 'to be engineer or doctor' why engineering? why medicine? NO.
So don´t ask me!
As in, first it was like:
Me: i´m writing my dissertation.
The other: working or studying?
Me: studying. to be a spanish teacher.
Other : really cool
(and goes on to ask some more questions like: are you in spain?, in india, how long?, is it in demand?, marriage plans? etc.)
But 'Other' can´t control it.
Now Other: if u dont mind then can i ask u something.......why have u chosen spanish..and further studies in it...
I have no grudges against 'Other'. i´m just writing this cause it´s always bugged me.
I mean, i hate that question. It´s not curiosity. It´s just saying "you´re dumb", "what´s the point in that?" etc.
Does anyone ever ask a 'to be engineer or doctor' why engineering? why medicine? NO.
So don´t ask me!
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Makeover
My sister, my aunt and I decided to redecorate my aunt´s living room. This was
how it looked
BEFORE:
and
AFTER
P.s I know it´s kind of unfair that in the before photo the room isn´t decorated but the idea of a 'before and after' just struck us late.
and i couldn´t choose between both the after pics so let me know which one you like better.
Back to work!
So i´m back in Alcalá... with mixed feelings... more negative than positive.
Had a wonderful, fun month at home. Now i have to get back, or rather, finally start working on my dissertation :( Boo hoo :(
Will post soon... maybe some photos... i don´t know. let´s see.
Had a wonderful, fun month at home. Now i have to get back, or rather, finally start working on my dissertation :( Boo hoo :(
Will post soon... maybe some photos... i don´t know. let´s see.
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