Sounds of Silence

The moon took refuge under a thick cover of clouds tonight but that didn’t deter my spirits; standing in the cramped utility space, I stuck my neck out in an awkward position with LG over my shoulder to get a glimpse of the semi-circle, pristine white body up there. Post-dinner it has become an unsaid tradition of taking a walk to see the moon with LG on the stroller so much so that our neighbors have come to acknowledge it as our “moon-light walk”. With the temperatures dipping slightly for winter, there’s a chill in the air; our night walks have gradually come down as a precautionary measure for I don’t want LG to be sick child on his own birthday- which is just a week away.

Winter is not significant enough to be called as a season on its own in Bangalore; alright mercury levels dip a bit and the sun sets early and rises late but other than that it’s all normal. But December brings with it a depressing feeling; it’s quiet, dark, cold, and eerily silent.  I don’t know if it’s just me but I can’t wait for the New Year to set in and get over with the last month of the year.

There was one winter that I loved. Thinking about that December gives me gooseflesh - the winter in Chicago, for days I waited to see the first snow, to feel it in my palms, to see it covering the colorful shrubs lining up the streets of Magnificent Mile,  to see the lake freeze, to be dressed in layers of clothing and yet step out cheerfully every morning, to see the fireworks light up the Chicago night sky every Wednesday and Saturday, to go ice skating and fall over and over again and still not give up - everything about that winter seemed perfect.  I’d never seen or felt snow before so it was a novel experience. The first night when it snowed, I frantically called up all the people I knew who were awake and rushed down onto the streets to feel snow and watch the kids (very few that lived Downtown) make a snowman.

This winter is quiet, very quiet indeed. I have tons of work to complete before the 25th and the weather isn’t making it any easier.  The silence is haunting, so I’ve finally taken to listening to loud music over and over again on youtube while working. It’s addictive and very little work gets done. Let’s not talk about taste, for now- damn promos and watching TV!

Bye Chicago.

Last post from here.

Chicago River Bridges

Chicago
This is how it looks when all the bridges (apparently 42 of them) on the Chicago river open up to let the tall boats/ships pass by. As I walked this afternoon over the Michigan Avenue Bridge, they started closing the bridge entrance on either end. Within a fw mins, I had the chance to witness the bridges opening, something that I had not seen until today. It was awesome to see the bridge go up so fast. What was funny was that when this giant bridge opened up, a very small boat - barely a few feet taller than the height of the closed bridge, passed by. I heard that the bridges open every Wednesday and Saturday to let the boats pass thr.

Olympics 2004
U.S Total Medals Tally is at 100 today. An impressive surge by Russia. India’s position has not changed - at 63. 1 Billion people and 1 medal…
So much for blogging - You’re Athletes, not journalists

GoodBye Chicago


This post is the last thing that I’m doing from work today. I’ve been making rounds of the office since morning bidding goodbye to everyone. The day started with reading a touching entry on Harper’s blog that moved me to tears. Had lunch with Rebekah and the ones I didn’t want to say goodbye because I feared they would make me cry were S (we just gave quick hug to avoid the emotions but it did not help at all and I cried on my way back) and Tim. So I kept them for the last. Infact when I went to see T, I carried tissue papers. I can’t believe this is over. I’ll miss you all and I have to stop saying this in every entry of my blog now and stop being a baby!

Coutdown

Countdown update - Last working day tomorrow. 3 more days to go. Saying goodbyes doesn’t feel good at all.

Do NOT see Exorcist. The movie sucks and is very disgusting. H, his friends, V and I made the mistake of watching it day before night. I wanted to see Princess Diaries - 2 but had to live upto the image a of a grownup :( and went to see Exorcist.

If you use Gmail extensively then chk out the Gmail Notifier.

Weekend

The weekend took off to a lazy start after a hetic day at work ysterday. Felt as if I had worked for 16 hours after spending a no-break 9 hours at work. I was on the edge and felt how it would be nice if everyone ……….. well… There is nothing like a nice cup of Mocha Frappuccino and walk back home on a cool summer evening (probably a bike ride would have helped more) to calm the agitated mind :)

Tuberose (known as Rajnigandha in India) has a pleasant floral fragrance that continues to produce itself for days unlike other flowers. It is my favorite flower and I was surprised to see it this morning here. Reminded of the old times how V earned his nickname “florist” by sending me LARGE boquets of flowers once a week, I bought myself a few and my apartment is smelling good :)

Summer of ‘04

For 24 years, Monsoon, Hot, Hotter and Hottest were the only seasons I had experienced. I moved here last August when summer was almost coming to an end. Despite that the first few days were a nightmare in my apartment with no a/c or fan. It was a furnace :(. Thanks to the leasing guy for not telling that there was no air conditioning. Before I got adjusted to the city, summer was over and the cold spell in the last week of September took me by surprise. It is funny as I look back at the pictures of that weekend that I was the only one clad in a long black winter coat in September when Fall was just setting in. Anyways, the best memories are that of Winter. I was so happy to see the first snow shower ..it was about 9:00 p.m. and I went down to make snow balls after seeing a few kids. Spring was quiet but I was also glad that winter was over as shopping for groceries has become a lil easier.

Late Spring and Summer of 2004 will be very memorable to me.

I bought this bike in April. I have owned 2 bikes earlier as a kid. But for reasons unknown this one was very special to me. I would take it every evening for a ride along the lake shore. I parted with it today and it made me really sad. Last evening I took a few pictures of the bike to remember these good days by! Life has come to a full circle. 30 more days to go!

Emergency Services

I walk a mile to work every morning. In the past 10 months not a day has passed without being intercepted by a speeding blinking red lights vehicle. Everything comes to a grinding halt paving way for the ambulances/fire engines. This just amazes me as I see them everyday, sometimes 2 or 3 of them in a row. Well, but come to think of it ,there is actually a dark and bright side to it. Dark side being that someone is in an emergency situation. The bright side being the respect for these vehicles on the road. The slightest negligence (which is very rare) to give way for a ambulance is often met with resentment. The whole process of dialing 911-what’s the emergency-emergency vehicles coming to one’ doorstep in a matter of minutes is probably not a big deal for any developed nation. But it is to someone who comes from a billion plus people nation. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration if I say In India,ambulances have to race with other vehicles and make their own way on the roads. If they succeed, then it was the patient’s good luck. No amount of honking will clear the way for them - it just adds to the already high noise level!

Bike Ride

Inspired by Harper, I rode 6 miles to the library on my bike on the road last evening. Distance wise, I have ridden more than this but only along the lake shore or on sidewalks. I was confident after reading the do’s and dont’s on bicyclesafe.com.

My headaches are back and it bothers me a lot. There is a persistent pain that just doesn’t go away so I may have been in a lil irritant mood the past few days.

Countdown: Exactly 2 more months to go before I leave. “Going back” gives rise to mixed feelings. There are times when frustrating situations at work make me feel excited about going back, the thought of not having to deal with all this carries me thr the present. But such circumstances are also considerably low now. Anyways I hate to leave Chicago. This past 1 year has been great but it will also be history soon. It is time to move on!

I’m going to see “Fahrenheit 9/11″ and “Spider-Man2″ this weekend. Read this good review on “Spider-Man2″ in NYTimes.

Anagram for “Micheal Moore” is “Come Home, Liar”.

A Summer Wedding

Last Saturday evening, I attended my first American Wedding. The outdoor wedding was at the Garfield Park Conservatory. The conservatory is a magnificent place too decked out with stunning gardens. It is open after-hours only for special occassions. It was a beautiful small wedding with about 30 guests and had an air of intimacy. As I entered the conservatory at 6:00 p.m., my eyes fell on this beautiful lady clad in a gorgeous white bridal gown. She in no way resembled the woman I saw everyday.

The ceremony began at 6:30 p.m. when the bride and groom walked hand in hand and looked perfect for each other. The 15 min ceremony was conducted by a judge. It was nice to watch the bride and groom exchange vows and say “I will”. This was followed by a photo session, drinks and dinner. The best toast was from the bride’s sister who narrated a funny story about the bride’s sleep-walking habit. In all, the wedding was very well planned, organized and executed. I felt as though I was seeing “A Wedding Story” in action. This was my favorite program last spring and these lines still play in my mind….

and when the spark of youth someday surrenders

I’ll have your hand to see me through

tears may come and go

but there’s one thing I know

love is all there is when I’m with you

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