The summer that was ...was not?

I haven't logged in to blogger for a while, for one American summer to be precise. So I have the perfect excuse for being erratic this time around - SUMMER VACATION !!

At the first hint of green around me, I had made plans to hit the road again - Partly to make up for the time that I lost all winter and partly to lose the sense of suffocation that I was feeling from being within four walls; and hit the road - I did, with a mad dash across florida logging almost 2k miles on the road in 4 days, and getting totally sunburnt (imagine skin peeling off).

June came and with it rain too - supposedly, typical "New England weather". For a change, I managed to do something about my interests, rather than just bragging/blogging. Me and the Pentax enrolled ourselves in an amateur photography course - a course that I religiously completed, every single assignment included. For someone who is prone to chronic disillusionment, this achievement is something that I am really proud about. Though I have been photographing for a long while now, it feels nice to have a good grasp of the subject ...rather than spraying and praying that the image comes out as I want it to.

July again was pretty rainy, but then didn't stay home even for a single weekend. White water rafting - will do it tonnes of times again, what a rush!!!
-Watched all the super hero flicks that came out - In the theatre, Batman in Imax :-)
-Hiked a few local trails and swam in freezing water at 6 in the morning , in a reservoir, that was not exactly meant for swimming - but then we are Indian, so sab chalta hai..hai na??
-A scavenger hunt through Boston - a group of 10 people, almost totally random, walking all day, up and down the town . Worth every ounce of fat burned (for people who do not know me, I value fat very much)
-All you can eat icecream for 5 dollars.

Rain brought with it August as well. And as they say the good times definitely do end. Beginning with my Photography class. As my instructor wound up the class with a preview of what was to come in the fall for another $250, a course on documentary journalism really caught my eye. But caught between that and the "bigger picture", I made my choice and moved on. Friends who have been my travel companions in the US decided to move on - back to India. I have chosen to stay on for a while - the "bigger picture" again. Homesickness, nostalgia all come swirling at me as I say my farewells. And as the reality sunk in that another summer has passed, which makes me 25 by the way, I settled down to a routine that I hope will get me through the next few months - crucial, nailbiting and hectic months.

It has been a hectic summer alrite. All said and done, I still managed to complete one year in the US with not much damage except for a few thousand dollars burned in "Pursuit of Happiness". I have also learnt a few things about myself ( will try and avoid making this sound like a cliche, so keep reading). From grinning like a little boy, when shamu the whale splashed water on me , to relishing the spirit of adventure as I barrelled down rapids in a tub to feeling a fleeting moment of total freedom as I swam in a pristine lake all by myself, I have realised that despite being numbingly routine in my everyday life, my passion for the things that I love has not diminished one bit. As my Chinese friend with his piece of Zen wisdom says - "Yo!! Just roll with the flow...Duude!!". And that realisation is really heartening to carry into the winter.

A few more totally tangent thoughts that I can't squeeze into another post

-Offlate I have been getting comments from a lot of people who really care about me - that I am indifferent, aloof, cynical et all. All I thought I was capable of doing was lame self deprecating humour. So people thanks for the complements :-). I will try and not disappoint you.

-I got nominated as a "junkie" at my work place. Totally damaaged by an idiot who left out a critical piece of info from my "award". That actually can make another post. So expect one soon


-Today is onam and I had sandwich and fries for my onasadhya. Not good, especially when the last thing you need is another wave of nostalgia. The thing is I do remember onam as a wonderful time of the year, but for some reason this year, onam seems a lot more special. I guess it is just the Nostalgia acting up again. So I better hit the bed then..