The adventures of the Indian local trains.

Have you ever travelled by an Indian local train in Mumbai? If you have, I am sure you are quite sympathetic to my fate.

My college being so far off from my house, a train ride six days a week to and for is a must for me. Trying to get a seat in a local train during peak hours is a equivalent to a war. A spartan war to be precise. You have to know the exact point where the train will stop and where would you be able to get in the fastest avoiding all the rush if angry ladies. It's very strategic. One can learn but only by experience.

While coming back from college, it becomes a full blown world war. People are tired after work, frustrated to the Core. All they want to do is just get that seat and go home and watch some TV. If you get a seat at that peak hour, you can get a seat in any train, in any country.

Getting down from the train is another story entirely. You get up from your seat two stations before only to look down and see two women bickering about who gets to take your seat and entirely pushing you out of the picture. You get away and push your way to the tightly packed crowd on the train where people keep getting on and no one gets off. Only through sheer will power do you manage to get your way through the entrance of the train and get down. Sometimes if the crowd is too frustrated, they don't even let you get off and you miss your station.

As soon as you are on the platform of your station, you feel safe. Survived the wars. I am proud to say that I, survive these train wars everyday and cheers to the others who are in this war with me :P

A perspective

I had the mindset that I was going to attend college, I really did. Instead, I ended up running around due to all the projects and ultimately going to my friend, Twisha's house.

Her building has a beautiful terrace where you can just sit and let your mind wander. It's funny how your mind takes you to places where you thought you would never end up being- my future. I sat there, wondering what my future would be like. Where would I see myself in a month? A year? Ten years perhaps. Wonders of the mind, never fail to awe you.

For me, my mind decided to take to me my career. What do you want to be? It asked me. I answered clinical psychology without missing a beat. And then it asked wh? Do you think to have it in you? I could not wrest up an answer for that.

Why clinical psychology of all things? I don't know but hell, I just know that one day I will be able to answer that too :]

I also wondered about some important things... But that I am very far from going into. Basically, a terrace like that is a beautiful place to have moments. It entrances and captures your breath, it makes you feel like you are on the top of the world and all the problems are below, like little ants that can be dealt with later. Today was a legendary day. Literally.

The first day of the fresh start.

The day that I have been waiting for eagerly, almost impatiently, has finally arrived. I have moved into my new flat! After all the tedious formalities, packing, cleaning, unpacking, everything is in place at last. Sitting in my new room, I proudly type out this post. A few more adjustments and that's it, my new home.

Although, I do admit leaving behind my old, rented flat is a bit of a bummer, many memories and good times spent there, all my friends screaming my name when they get free from their tuition, even the lonely howl of the dogs at night shall be remembered by me :P

It is never easy to let go of all the old stuff and immediately plunge into the new but, handling it graciously, leaving it at it's place, that is what we call life. Clinging on to the old never lets us move forward either. Instead, it just drags us down with it. But when these bad memories turn into good memories, something you can laugh about in the future and learn from it, that's when you walk away with the win.

Life, I was told, is never a bed of roses. Well I think, life is definitely a bed of roses but we sometimes tend to forget the fact that even roses can have thorns that prick you. What you do, is make an effort and remove the thorns. This last paragraph is dedicated to a friend, who is feeling down. I am there for you :]

Life of Pi review

I just watched this movie yesterday and though I did not like it much, I cannot stop thinking about it... Not being biased, I am going to write this review. The main character, Pi, plays such a strong role in the movie that it's like he imprints himself on your mind.

In the entire movie, he was stranded alone, with a tiger on the boat. How they survived is pretty much the entire movie. But, it is not as boring as it sounds. Pi's courage, his mental stability, his never losing hope attitude, his thoughts, his skills, are laudable. They are so strong in the movie, that apart from the tiger in the boat, that was all that supported the movie. 

Basically, this movie has many unexpected twists and turns. Sometimes, they there are some heart stopping moments. It's ironical how the directors showed the ocean. The ocean that took away his family from him and gave him suffering is also shown as hauntingly beautiful at times that you cannot look away from the screen.

The writer, who comes to write pi's story later on in life is forced to believe in god as Pi sits down and tells him the journey he had embarked on and how he had managed to keep himself sane and alive. As for me, I don't see any relevance to god during any part of the journey. Maybe the philosophical stuff is not my type.

I would not lie, there are some disappointing moments, like the ending and the sadistic scenes when the animals eat each other for the sake of their survival. Maybe three and a half stars (this is a totally just rating). But this movie is definitely worth a watch  if philosophical movies float your boat. ;]

Jab Tak Hai Jaan (JTHJ) review

Jab Tak Hai Jaan, the movie, like it's name, is a Yash Chopra classic. The famous star cast, the outdoor and overseas shoots, the snow, the love... Basically, a perfect romance movie.

The never-before-seen on screen couple Shahrukh Khan and Katrina Kaif make their debut in the film. Although both the stars are sizzling on screen individually, they do not show that sizzling chemistry as a couple. To me it seems that they are not truly comfortable with each other. Other than that, Katrina's expression seems to remain stagnant throughout the entire movie but, when she dances... Totally worth it! ;)

Anushka Sharma appeared a little too late in the movie and seemed more of the side extra actress. Her acting better compared to Katrina but her role not so promising. Her bubbly attitude and charming smile does add a little spice to the movie though.

The movie was almost 3 hours long and the story a bit of a drag. That being the bad point. A fair warning, those of you who cannot stand romance DO NOT WATCH. Other than that for hopeless romantics like me, totally worth one watch. I promise SRK will make you swoon in your seats! A three star movie from my side! :]

Parents

Everyone has relationships. Relationships with your boyfriends or girlfriends, relationships with your friends or relatives but the most intimate relationship which also demands the most attention in these ages is the one a child shares with his/her own parents.

This relationship is also very unpredictable. One second, you are laughing and kidding around with them and then next moment, it all ends up into a fight which was not foreseen. According to a lot of teenagers my age, their parents seem to have a lot of flaws. They lash out at any moment, make mountains out of mole hills, nag, scold, overprotect, ect... The list is endless. What they forget though, is that they themselves are not perfect too. I mean, come on! They are your parents! We don't understand the fact that when we end up hurt, emotionally or physically, they experience double the hurt. We are a part of them. They have the right to nag, scold and overprotect because they also love, care and pamper.

It's like we forget about all the things they did for us the moment we start to answer back to them. We shout, we taunt and we accuse them of multiple things. We remind them of their flaws. It's a vicious thing, this anger. It makes us an animal. We want nothing else but to win the argument against our parents at that moment even though we are wrong. I know the feeling completely, because at times, I turn into that animal.

I know it's hard to think of all this when we turn into that animal but we could at least try to tame it. And that is precisely what I am going to try the next time the animal tries to take over. I am never going to forget about all the sacrifices my parents made just so that I could have the best. It is said anything you do for your parents, it never meets up to what they did for you, not in a million years. 

The new beginning

Whenever you move in, into a new flat, or any new place for that matter, it feels like a new beginning to something exciting. I was finally going to see how my new flat was shaping up. My family and I were staying in a rented flat up till now. The wait was nearly over and my new flat was almost ready.

Glee is what you feel when you are about to get something new. Exactly what I felt when I stepped into my new flat to take a look at it after so many months. A lot of touch ups were yet to be made but yet, it already felt like my room.

The walls, the furniture, all if those things were waiting for me to leave a mark on them so that each mark would have it's own story to tell.

This is a toast, to a new era in my life. :]