Becoming or not Becoming? That is the Question

We wish to explore the details of an author’s life, digging into the letters written to friends and family, reading the intimate details within their journal and delving into the secrets of their personal life, thinking that it may provide further explanations for what that author has penned in his/her work, that it would highlight some subtle reference or unearth some hidden meanings and uncover subtexts in the writings which would somehow heighten the experience of reading and analysis. When all we really want through it is to know is the love-exploits of these classic authors. This invasion of privacy we do in the name of historical authenticity or deep research is enjoyable and yet disturbing.

I felt this deeply while watching Becoming Jane. The intrusions into the life of Jane Austen were almost disconcerting. The underlying hints of sexuality and not so subtle sexual politics while vastly amusing on one base level, caused a bit of a dilemma in me. Is it right to intrude in someone’s life this way, why not let the author in peace in their grave. Their immorality is based on the continuation of their memories and their works. People die a second death when the people who knew them also die, or so said Gabriel Garcia Marquez quoting his grandmother. By passing on the knowledge through the literary canon, we never let authors die, for we cannot do so. It would be a grievous sin against literature. Yet, what is the limit? Where do we stop? Must one make films on their lives, which will always only be a version of truth of reality? Must we mar their memory with our insights? With even thorough research and detailed presentation, we can never know what really came to pass. Is it enough to say that this is only ‘based’ on their life? That it is an ‘adaptation’?

There will always be an idiot who will foolishly think that the version he saw was real.

Vipin begins where Tanvi ends..

Tanvi, one of my hostel friends got married to Vipin on Monday. It was a very beautiful church ceremony. The bride looked gorgeous, as you can see in the pictures, and she looked completely natural, as if this was meant to be what she was born to do! I have always been to weddings where the bride was either too demure and shy or just bogged down by everything going on about her looking hassled and frustrated with the weight of makeup and outfit... Tanvi was so natural that it was even more wonderful to see her married.

Meeting the guests at the door, taking blessings and greetings..

Clicking pictures with friends and family..

Last minute dressing up for the Ladies Sangeet the day before the wedding (helpers: Mausi, Maid of Honour, and friend)

The Bride and Groom at the Ladies Sangeet

change

today I mark the change of my blog title. no longer the M.Phil. Chronicles, these are my thoughts and memories, in my Pensieve...

I felt it today. The crispness in the air that tells you that seasons are changing.. that the festive spirit is near at hand. I don't know if it is the smoke from fire-crackers or its just the shorter days which lend a smell and a feel to the air. I look forward to Diwali more than any other festival and since it comes around the time of my birthday, it seems as if the year is coming full circle. There is that sense of rounding-up, conclusion, closure. It is a bit depressing, since I always associate my birthday with death somehow. Strangely, it is still one of my favourite times of the year!!

Running on Thin Luck

Luck, I would think, is cold, like ice. It is dispassionate. It is stiff. It can soothe, but it can also burn. Mine sorta felt like it was burnt out last Wednesday.

I had my M.Phil. viva voce on that day. I was running a bit late because I had to make myself presentable at the beauty parlour. The Metro decided to stop for the 10 minutes at Dwarka Sector 14 that day. If it had stopped for longer, I would have been seriously late. But it didn't, which meant I would be at the Department of English on time, even with some time to spare. I usually take a rickshaw from the Metro station to the Faculty of Arts. I thought I would flip through my dissertation during the ride.

Then suddenly out of nowhere a car took a quick turn and my rickshaw swerved to avoid a head on collision, the turn was so sharp that the rickshaw tilted and fell over sideways. I was screaming while it was happening. Before even falling I knew I was about to fall and then swat like a fly I was flat on the ground. I got up, don't remember if anyone picked me up or not. I checked myself while someone came to pick up my things for me. I realised that none of my clothes were torn, I didn't have many scratches. My knee hurt a little. It was nowhere like the scooter accident I had in Okinawa, when I had lain on the ground conscious but unable to move for quite a while.

I don't know where I got the courage from but I wanted to shout at the car driver. Now there were two cars, and it was the second which came out of nowhere. The first one stopped but the second -the culprit- ran off. I was furious, moving towards the car which had stopped, I asked loudly to no one in particular and the world at large whether it was that car who caused the accident. When people told me no, I think I ranted in the middle of the road about who knows what...

Then a motorbike came fast near where I was standing and I shouted at them to kill the rest of me that happened to survive! I then stormed to my rickshaw, sat on it and ordered the rickshawala to go. I sobbed on the way a bit and when I reached the Department I wanted to breakdown completely. I was still in shock. Interestingly I didn't cry much (very unlike me). But I didn't want to stand in front of all my teachers like that! The Dissertation was so far off my mind at that moment. I could only think of how much worse it could have been.

I asked the office peon, who is a lovely gentlemen, one of my favourite office staff at the dept., to tell them what happened if they asked for me, that I was going to the bathroom to wash my face, that I need five more minutes. The convener of M.Phil. came out and asked me whether I wanted to sit down while they met the second candidate before me. (Did I mention I was the first person in the whole list?)

I sat and calmed down. Spoke to my friends. The story spread around and I kept saying, " It was nothing really." But it was something. I was shook up and I didn't really do a good viva in there. I was not confident anymore. I was nervous. I answered the questions but I wished I could have been more forcible and articulate, not stumbling looking for words..

Interestingly, I could still manage to joke when leaving. Trivedi told me to take care, and hoped I would be alright soon. I replied I'm already feeling better, and that my bag seems to have suffered worse physical damage. It was my favourite red bag that I got from Tokyo. And its strap came out.

* I may be a little superstitious, but I forgot to carry the Japanese charm I bought on New Year's day. I got the 'education' charm so that I can finish my Dissertation without ill-luck...

** on the Happy side, my Dissertation grade was A. Let's see what my overall grade, including the viva result, would be. It should be out soon. Keeping fingers crossed!

Delhi Metro is doomed

On Wednesday, 12th August, I was stuck in the Metro for over 2 and half hours. I boarded the train at around 5:45pm from Vishwavidyalaya but did not reach home until 8:30. A route that should have taken less than 1 and half hours, took over 2 and a half. Reason, around 4 o'clock a train got derailed at the Dwarka station. The driver of the train switched to manual and the train overshot the tracks which were still locked. Thankfully there were no casualty and the train was travelling at a low speed, otherwise it would have jumped over the elevated ramp onto the road. In the whole network, apart from the stations from where the train goes to the depots, there are only two sets of tracks, one coming and the other going. No extra track has been made for emergency. Due to this, the whole train schedule was running late, and there were very few trains running. The number of people queued up to board trains which didn't show up, and when they did, they were already full to the brim. At Rajiv Chowk, I stood and waited for two trains which were so packed that I refused to step into them. I chose instead to go back a few stations from where it wouldn't be so full. That was my mistake. I was unaware of the derailing and thought it was just some minor delay. The authorities hardly made any announcement, and when they did, they said the delay was due to some technical error. There was no procedure to stop passengers from entering the stations, commuters piled up with nowhere to go. It was stuffed but shockingly many people still stayed in line! When I was in the train, I had a seat but those standing were squished. With swine flu on the rise, who knows how many viruses were transmitted.. In the heat and humidity, the A/Cs hardly had any cooling and once the power went out; it was excruciating. Our train was halted for 20 minutes at a station with the doors closed. No announcement was made to inform us why it was stopped, even to regret the inconvenience caused. People fought off those trying to board the train when it did move to the next station. One guy in my train started shouting press the emergency button, lets talk to the driver and ask him whats wrong. and they did, which halted the train for another few minutes until some officials came to see to the problem. It could have been a medical situation.
In another 5 years or so, Delhi Metro will become obsolete. In its construction, there has been a unfortunate lack of foresight. Many things have not been thoroughly thought out before execution. If there had been extra tracks, this chaos could have been avoided. Not only that, but they could then have run rapid and fast trains which stop at only major stations, just like the Japanese system. In the present system, the train stops at all stations of the route taking an unneccessarily longer time! Also, they made Rajiv Chowk big, but not big enough to handle the load that will soon be added when the trains to Noida start. They need to add two more bogeys, but they still don't have them ready. Who knows how much time they will take for that. and even when they add them, the no. of people coomuting will also have increased. which means that trains will still be stuffed. I wonder what can be the solution?

new blog?

so... am wondering what to do about my blog.... I am on the last leg of my M. Phil. Chronicles... the viva dates have been announced. As some of you may know through my Facebook status, I am the first person on the list. I don't think its a good thing, all the profs of the department and the external will probably be too enthusiastic in the beginning and thus, they will fire off questions at me.. I donno what it'll be like and have been terrified of this moment since I first started M. Phil. I am not even ready to re-read my dissertation and long papers just yet! and its next week on Tuesday, 18th August!! Which also means that the grade on mydissertation should be coming out within this week! Gah! its moving too fast for me to be comfortable...

Which brings me back to my blog. I don't think I want to start another blog... I already have one for Oki and 2 others.. that's the trouble with titling it with a portion of one's life. I knew Okinawa Times would get over someday, and the M.Phil. Chronicles must come to an end too. So why did I name them such? Right about now I can't think of a new title. But I suppose I can wait until my final result comes out which would be by the end of August I suppose. But after that I will have to change the name. Still thinking on it. Maybe it will come like a flash as it did with my dissertation title. But I wouldn't mind suggestions! :) so, friends, do you have any?

News:

1. The Dissertation is over and done with. I decided the title on the final day! It is: "Anarchy in the UK! Punk Rock, Racism and Hanif Kureishi: A Cultural Study" How does it sound?
   
   
2. I saw Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to celebrate the completion. I loved the movie, but wanted more! I also felt that it would be confusing for a person who hadn't read the book. I had read it a long time ago and hardly remembered the story. Wanted to re-read it before watching the movie, but am glad I didn't have the time to do so, coz then there was some amount of suspense!
   
   
3. Last week, I attended this 6-day orientation for new teachers of the English Language Proficiency Course that will be run by Delhi University for the second time from August 10 to mid-December. Needless to say, that I am one of the teachers... Lets see how it will be trying to teach nearly-adult learners the correct usage of English.
   
   
4. On the 5th day of the Orientation, I started coughing. The constant AirConditioning finally got to me. As the day progressed, I felt a dull ache in my head coming along. My back started aching as well and I knew I was gonna get sick. The next 3 days were spent trying to bring down my temperature from the 101-2 degrees Fahrenheit that it was. My cough still hasn't completely gone.
   
   
5. On Sunday, 2nd of August, I moved out of the hostel. I was still very sick at the time, but I didn't ask for another extension since the International Students House for Women authorities suck majorly. They have been trying their best to kick old students out so they can fill it with new unsuspecting ones since we oldies know their dark history. The hostel is not the place it used to be, and I am glad I am out of it. The way they behaved especially with my friend, Aditi, telling her to move out in a day on her birthday(!!) was nothing but DESPICABLE. I'm very disgusted with these women and a full rant will follow soon enough.
   
   
6. I am now living at home and looking for a job (besides the ELPC).

I am copper?

You Are Copper

You are provocative and challenging. You help people realize who they really are. You live a very balanced life. You always take time for love and art. You are both a powerful and generous person. You always have time to give back. People find you to be incredibly ethical and loyal.

What Metal Are You?

Gym Playlist

I have been going to the gym in the hostel regularly enough these days. Yesterday, I realised how important my lil iPod nano has become for me; it ran out of battery power, and I felt stranded. So, I decided to write a post on my favourite gym songs, i.e. songs that really get me going to push myself that much further.

1. Supermassive Black Hole by Muse: I hate to begin my workout with this song. I randomly select a song with eyes closed. I have the shuffle feature on and when this song suddenly comes on when least expected, a smile comes on my face. It's my favourite Muse song (a band I don't particularly die for) but, I love the pace of this song. Also, it reminds me of the Cullens in their most playful, and for me their most sexy moment! "oooooooooooaaaaaaaah! you set my soul alive...." :)
   


2. Faint by Linkin Park: With its 135 beats per second, it is the best song ever to run with!! Another good one is the mashup of "faint" and "Toxic"by Britney Spears! (I Know!! It's crazy - I like a song that is remotely related to Britney Spears!!)



3. Paranoid by Megadeth: It's a cover of the Black Sabbath song. Its faster than the original version, and therefore a prefered version.



4. Prince of Darkness by Megadeth: The lyrics are awesome. The beat is awesome. The vocals a good-creepy awesome :) ! It builds up bit by bit. And when it hits the part where the bass starts... ah! it makes me feel like feline - smooth, sleek, sly, sinuous... evil! and my movements match up!



5. Orgasmatron by Sepultura: Another cover song. Originally by Motorhead, apparently... coz I only know the Sepultura version, which I love!!!!! The build up is soooo.... AHH! The drums superb! if only I could hear this live! when the guitar solo comes in and the drums progress... are there any words to describe music? every time I hear this song, I want to stand up, headbang, energy seems to pulsate thru my body!



6. Mr Brightside by The Killers: It's slower.. by a minuscule degree from my other favs... but I generally like this one to start off with.



7. Don't Stay by Linkin Park: LP have great gyming songs with the appropriate fast pace I need with racy beats and strong bass sounds. I prefer the album Meteora.. Figure.09 is also a good song.



8. Chop Suey by System of a Down: I was introduced to SOAD by David while driving down to book club. I remember he scared me quite a bit. Coz the song came on and he shouted-sang along to the "You wanted to" part. And I wasn't paying attention at all, and suddenly dave is headbanging while driving!! I was too surprised to notice the beauty of this song, but now I know better! :)



9. Sleeping Awake by P.O.D.: From the soundtrack of The Matrix Reloaded, this song seems slower to my ears than other heavier songs. But, I love it!



10. Reload by Rob Zombie: Another Matrix Reloaded song... This is the best! It is so fast! Awesome beats. I would love for this song to be played in a club and I would love to be in that club when it is played!



11. Bring Me to Life by Evanescence: OK, I know, this isn't a typical gyming number... but the chorus is heavy enough for me!



12. Snowblind by System of a Down: Another SOAD song that really gets me going. there is no build up, it just starts! when I first heard their discography, most songs seemed incomprehensible, they are just so fast! But my ears are quite attuned now and I actually crave faster tracks at times!! Apparently, this is also an original Black Sabbath song... guess I should download and listen to them!



13. Ryukyu no Kokoro by Mongol 800: At least one Japanese song! There are so many fast paced J-Pop songs, but I choose the punk one! :) This song starts slow, but hell! Does it pick up a beat or what!?



14. Decode by Paramour: Ok, fact is I LOVE the Twilight soundtrack!
    The part I like best is when the lyrics are
    

    "The truth is hiding in your eyes
    And its hanging on your tongue
    Just boiling in my blood,
    But you think that I can't see
    What kind of man that you are
    If you're a man at all
    Well, I will figure this one out on my own
    (I'm screaming "I love you so..."
    But my thoughts you can't decode) "



15. Stupify by Disturbed: When I first heard this song in a heavy metal compilation CD a friend from Maldives lent me, I was like "woa, wait a minute, this song should be in a Harry Potter movie!" but then, I looked up the lyrics... hahaha! i am sure parents wont approve of the use of the f-word! No build up, just start 'whack'/fuck/rock-ing away! :)



16. Toxicity by SOAD: SOAD are great! So wish I could attend a concert.. so wish they would get back together and come to Delhi... Wishful thinking... If ever they do go on tour, I will so be buying a ticket! Toxicity was my first SOAD fav. I didn't know that its one of their most successful songs. I just liked it for the melody entwined with heavy sounds. Vocals.. perfect; Lyrics.. perfect; Guitar.. perfect; Bass.. perfect; Drums.. perfect; SONG.. perfect!!

So, this has been a nice change from my sad posts, huh? :)

Sunny days, where have you gone?

It was one of those days. Bang after a week of torturous heat and dryness, a storm and rain. glorious sweet scintillating rain. sudden darkness at 2.30 in the afternoon which made the soothing yellow of bulb lamp feel nice. and thunder so loud it drowned out all other sounds. clouds so low you could touch them. breeze to blow all worry and stress out of your system. the smell of wet earth to refresh all senses. sublime. poetic. blue.

after the downpour stopped there were still thick clouds hiding the harsh summer sun. the lingering coolness made me get up and walk out of my room. that and the longing.

it was one of those days you wish you could share a companionable silence with someone who would walk by your side holding your hand just happy to be there. i longed for that simple joy.

i walked concentrating on each step. i walked as if i was walking a tight rope. it seemed to make so much sense to make sure that each step followed directly ahead the other. walking unselfconsciously aimlessly seemed most unacceptable.

i let soft slow songs on my iPod drown the mocking calls of the peacocks. i hummed along,

why does it always rain on me is it because i lied when i was seventeen why does it always...

so apt...

the tiny raindrops fell on my burning skin like pin-pricks. it was a welcome pain. afterall the thorn in my chest hurt worse.

i was sad. i honestly have not been this sad in a while. i can suppress sadness with little joys usually. today the little joys eluded me.

i walked back into the hostel when raindrops became bigger and fell more frequently. Sister Lucky needed my help carrying a 20kg bag. Sister Lucky is one of the most friendly sisters i have met in the hostel. she is truly kind and sweet. always has something happy or good to say. her real name is not really Lucky, but how does one pronounce their impossible names! so each sister usually has an easier name.

maybe something alerted her. she called me into her room to chat before taking the luggage down. she was leaving for Vietnam tonight. she cheered me up in her own special way. her English is still better than many other nuns, although her tonal singsong nasal enunciation still needed extreme attention. it was nice to focus hard on what she was trying to say to me. that process of concentration and the content of her words made me forget my loneliness. she was my sunny day.

it's selfish and twisted, but i hope the hot weather returns. at least it is tiring. it fatigues the body into numbness. dripping sweat makes one detest the thought of bodily contact. the heat doesn't let the mind wander. heat is the only thought that comes to the mind when it's that hot. heat is not conducive to romance.

But that's not what Travis meant the song to mean, did they?

hmmm...

My Favourite Part About Indian Summers:

Amaltas - the Indian Laburnum

Revelation

I had a sudden flash of revelation... I know now why I had been scared of the sea in Okinawa. Why when we jumped off the boat into the water near Taketomi, I was hesitant even though I wanted to do it very much. Why kayaking in Higashi was fun, but I could be on/in the water only with a life-jacket. Why countless time I wouldn't stay in the water for hours like I always had done before going to Okinawa. Why I wasn't braver in the water. I was not afraid of the ocean, I was afraid of myself. I know now that it would have come easily for me to let go... let the tide take me where it may... and maybe unconsciously I was not ready for that yet, I was too happy and felt I needed more time. It wouldn't be very difficult to walk into the sea when I am finally prepared... it would be painful, I know... but I think it would be peaceful as well... such a calm descends over me when I think of it. I wish I could let go now... too bad Delhi is surrounded by land and the only water body - the yamuna - is as good as a drain...

food is my religion, albeit the vegetarian kind...

About a dozen women of my mother's age group are singing, dancing, shrieking and making rude jokes in my living room rite now. I have run away after sitting patiently and clapping along for a while. Now I am sitting in a dark room hoping they wont remember me and call me to dance again. My mom organised this "kirtan" or a prayer service. I dislike it. Very much. I don't believe in its religious part. I can only dance when I am under the influence, so I can't really enjoy it in a secular way. But I am waiting for the food at the end of it, maybe coz I had only one meal since morning and its nearly 7:30 in the evening now, or maybe I only appreciate these events for the gastronomical pleasures.... ah food glorious food! :)

voted

The General Elections came to Delhi. And I voted. I took my decision based on candidates' qualifications. Unlike last time when Delhi elections were held and I voted for a party, not candidate. I also discovered I can 'vote for nobody,' but for that one has to fill a form apparently. Well, this time, even though I feel that no-one is really qualified to run India, I still didn't want the candidate who looked like a rapist to represent my area! So, I chose one who has a PhD and who has actually achieved real goals in the past... This is my proud mark:


(In India they make a square mark with permanent ink so that you don't repeat your vote.. I guess the man making these wanted to put his unique design on us, so he made a diagonal line instead...)

my second A

I found out today that I got an A in my Visual and the Verbal course. YAY!! It was the Marquez and Dali paper... :) I want to celebrate but can't because there is lost of work to be done for my dissertation. My supervisor wants to see as much work as possible before supervision ends on the 30th of April... Gah! this means a further delay on the Liz in India blog post.

contemplating

I have been contemplating for a long time to update my blog, with something more fun than ad campaigns to save turtles. I still have to write a blog about Liz in India (which has been unceremoniously dumped in drafts with the single word Liz as a title...) Its not like I don't have things to say. I have lots. But I find that recently my thoughts have been highly unstructured. Even while studying I am unable to focus on the task at hand. I jump from one book to the next thinking that maybe the other book would automatically grasp my attention allowing me to get some concrete work done. But no. My mind wanders from happiness that was travelling with Liz and to sadness at the loss of some stuff. In this year I have managed to loose some sentimentally valuable stuff - like my Nine West pouch with my favourite eyeshadow and a necklace a friend sent to me in Okinawa in it at Niigata. I lost a pair of earrings Isa gave me. Then I recently lost one of a pair of silver earrings that I just bought in Jaipur with Liz. It was fast becoming a fav as regular wear didn't make my earlobes sore. I believe I have also lost a friend recently - and I don't want to talk about that. Then a couple of days ago I smashed to smithereens one of a pair of new contact lenses. I guess I am becoming either careless or very unlucky; maybe I am both. I am sad most of the times for no reason, even though apart from these loosing sprees I have been alright otherwise. I think too much and consequently accomplish nothing. It could also be that I now live in the hostel, and even though I have friends, at the end of the day a loneliness sets in. I am going home tomorrow, so I shall do a happy task - that of posting travel pics and write the blog on Liz :)

(click to enlarge)

I'm a Punk

I have been reading The Philosophy of Punk by Craig O'Hara as part of the research for my dissertation; and I have come to the conclusion that I am a Punk. I am anti-homophobia, anti-racism, anti-sexism and pro-environment. I like 'loud' politically motivated rock music. I love to shock. I am non-conformist/ or at least I like conceptual anarchy and non-conformism. Thus, I am a Punk. I would love to have the garb occasionally too, even though bondage clothes and coloured spikey hair might be a little much for the Indian sensibility. For a long time I have been wanting a peirced tongue and at least one tat. Is this a mid-youth crisis?

yeh Dilli hai meri jaan

22 Feb 2009 : I know I have been away from this site a long time. Only because I didn't feel like writing. this is what I wrote a long time ago but kept it in Drafts:

So, am back. I had a good flight, even though the weather was mostly bad and we had a longer flight than usual for the route. I got to see Fujisan by fluke! Usually the captain makes an announcement, but this time none was made. I was being served a drink at the time and I looked out the window; and there it was, poking out of the clouds, just about to be hidden by the wing of the aircraft.

When I landed, I shedded my coat, and was sweating even in the light sweater I wore. Good Heavens! When I stepped out of the airport, Delhi Juhi persona came back on. I was on guard, coz I had to take a prepaid taxi home. We decided that I am finally old enough to do so on my own :)! Everything went fine. No complaints.

Oh! I have to add: After I wrote that last post, one of my friends came to dad's office where dad and I were. She asked me if I had time to spare. We went and ticked off 3 things on my list - purikura, taiko drums and kaitenzushi. Another girl, also from the Urdu Department also joined us and when we reached Musashi Sakai station yet another girl also from the Urdu dept. greeted Asuka (my friend). Many people know Asuka it seems! The second girl actually reacted to my name by shouting, "Oh! Juhi? Juhi Chawala!?!" I have not had that reaction ever in Japan from a Japanese person, and its anyway been a while since such a thing happened. For those who are wondering.... Juhi Chawala is a famous Bollywood actress. Although her shinning era has gone, in the late 80's and 90's she was quite the hit. I was not named after her, although everyone seemed to identify me to her for the longest time very much to my irritation. I was not irritated this time, just shocked that this happened yet again and that too in a foreign country.

Left for next time

I am at the end of my trip, and less than 24 hours remain till I catch my plane back. My bags are packed. But I am not ready to go. I still have so much to do. I have mixed feelings about leaving. I never really like the fact of returning to Delhi (for obvious reasons). This time though, the cold has finally taken its toll on me and I wish nothing more but warmer climes. Since the past 2 days, it has been dark and wet. I was happy while it was sunny; luckily in my 1 month, 2 weeks and 4 day trip, it was not sunny for maybe just 6 or 7 days. Tokyo is only going to get colder as February approaches, and Delhi must have already begun to get warmer.

The things I wasn't able to do ...
Karaoke - I met up with some friends, but was not able to plan a karaoke night. It is so lame to go alone! I don't even think there are single karaoke boxes in Japan. Karaoke is best done when a group of genki gaijin get together. My favourite times in Karaoke have been with my dear friends from Okinawa. Next time I might just drag someone along with me.
Visit Nikko and Hakone - Plans didn't take shape. Weather was also a huge consideration.
Sumo - I was ready for this one, especially since the tournament took place in Tokyo this Jan. But my dad left his big Nikon camera in Delhi. It would have been best to take pictures since I would have bought the cheapest ticket that seats one very far from the pit. (Even the cheapest ticket costs more than Rs.2000 though!)
Kabuki - I dont really know why I didn't put any effort into going and seeing it! Just lazy I guess..
Climb Fuji - like I said before, not possible in winters anyway.
Purikura - again, a group activity. I would have done this with friends studying in the Urdu Dept. but plans got cancelled when one friends caught the flu.
Kaitenzushi - no prob coz I ate lots of kappa maki bought from the supermarket.
Tokyo Disneyland - thrice cancelled due to bad weather.
Taiko drums - Ah.. whatever.
I am getting bored of this post... so what if I couldnt do all the things I wanted to! Just escaping Dehli was enough! :) and I DID do so many other things that I am quite satisfied with! To hell with it! These can remain pending so that I can dream about them while I do my dissertation...

...dreaming of my next trip!! :)

details from NMWA

Detail from Paul Signac's The Port of Saint-Tropez

Detail from Yellow Irises by Monet:

Daruma

To know what the Daruma is, check this site! I could write out an abridged version, but am lazy. Plus this article is really informative and interesting. Highly recommend a read through!!

This is one of the two Darumas I bought. This other is more decorative (i.e. it has the eyes drawn) and this one is functional (i.e. I shall make a wish on it.):

Ueno

I wanted to go to the zoo in Ueno for a long time to see Pandas. Unfortunately when I arrived at the ticket counter and asked the sweet lady if it was possible to see this cute creature, I was told that it had passed away sometime ago. I nonetheless went in, because I haven't been to a zoo in many years. I think the last time was when I was 8 years old and we went to Frankfurt Zoo. My chief memory from that visit was seeing Flamingos and buying a parrot and a peacock stuff toys. I might have been to Delhi Zoo - but that was ages and ages ago. I find zoos sad and the animals pitiful. This zoo despite being in a much better shape than many zoos in India, was still depressing. But I saw a couple of polar bears and a gang of very restless meerkats among other animals that I hadn't seen before.

At the entrance:

Origami cranes for the memory of Panda:

A real (not origami) Japanese crane:

Sleeping Emperor Penguins (what an uncomfortable posture, though!):

Drowsy, Polar Bear #1:

Unsure of Whether to Jump in the Water Or Not, Polar Bear #2:

National Bird of Trinidad, Scarlet Ibis:One of the funniest mammals I have seen, Meerkats:

Swarm of Rats:

This Guy happily posed while I took pictures of him! Seriously!!

Flamingos... a disappointment from what I remember in Frankfurt:


Hippos are huge! I never really realised how huge they must be!
'ey there, mate!
Mother goose:

I also went to two Museums in Ueno that day - the Tokyo National Museum and the National Museum of Western Art. TNM was quite big and more valuable for people with an interest in ancient art and Japanese art. It was nice to look at the Indian Miniatures preserved there and the history of Buddha in art traced there.

I had been to National Museum of Western Art before, but I couldn't resist going there again! I had an hour before closing time and the option of 2 Museums - Natural Science and Western art. I chose the Monets, the Renoirs and the Cezannes over dinosaurs. I got to take many pictures this time, but I might clog your RAM with so many photos loading on the page! Also, I think it would be a copyright issue.

yuki mi daifuku

This is the famed ice-cream mochi that made me fat in Okinawa :)

Actually, I tasted the brown one for the first time today... and I came to the conclusion that I like the plain one better. Ahhh! oishii so!!

Niigata

Once upon a time during Golden Week in Kume jima, Okinawa, I met this interesting person from Niigata who was staying with his girlfriend and two other friends at the same camping grounds as we were. We had a big barbecue with many other JETs who were also visiting Kume at the same time. And at this barbecue we were generally in high spirits and making much noise as we celebrated the moment. Many others at the camp ground joined us in the festivities, including this person I mentioned. We got to talking and exchanged info. He kept in touch with me (thank you, facebook) for the love of Indian ‘curry’.

This time when I came to Japan after more than a year, I needed to see some snow. What place better than the very one which saw the birth of skiing in Japan – Niigata. My friend had kindly offered his parents house and his time to show me Niigata on various occasions before. This time I took advantage of his repeated offer and went there.

I took a bus from Ikebukoro on the evening of the 8th and reached Niigata by night. On the way, I fell asleep soon, but woke up 2 hours or so before my destination. I then kept staring out the window in case it started snowing. Much to my disappointment, the landscape remained black.

Suddenly, maybe it was a reflection of light, I thought I saw white on the ground. Could it be? No... it’s just a figment of my imagination. But look! There it is once again. I must be dreaming… Salt? – It must be salt! It can’t be salt, you fool! Could it really be snow? Is it snow? It’s snow!! I wanted to shout – Snow! Yuki! I wanted to tell everyone in the bus - yuki! I looked around, no one shared my enthusiasm. They would probably think I was mad. In their lifetime, they had probably seen more than a zillion trillion billion million times the amount of snow on the side of the road that I was so excited about.

I calmed down. Actually I got bored after half an hour of looking out for patches of white on the side of the highway. Then came a huge tunnel. It seemed never to end. In the middle somewhere there was a line separating Gunma and Niigata prefectures. I thought there must definitely be plenty snow on top of this mountain we are cutting across.

Once the tunnel was crossed, my eyes got the treat they had been thirsty for. A layer of white covered the place. There were mountains of snow. And heavy machinery had been used to clear it up from the highway. My boredom disappeared and I stared till my eyes literally hurt and I could see no more white.

My friend met me at the bus terminal in central Niigata, showed me his favourite haunts around the city and then took me to his parents house which was in the countryside. His parents have a daiko taxi service – which is a special service to drive a drunken person home in their car after their thirst has been quenched at the bar at wee hours of the night. (Japan has a zero percent alcohol rule for driving, and thus such a service exists.) So they were up even at 11:30 in the night when I arrived. It was actually early in their case…

On the way home, Hikaru asked, “By the way, there are two dogs at my parent’s house. Is it ok?” I wanted to laugh, and did! If it was ok? It’s bloody brilliant! I love dogs and sometimes hunger for petting one! I miss Mickey more than anything else in this world! I still cry missing him so much! I was, in fact, praying that there be a dog! These dogs were so friendly, just like Mickey. Even their names begin with ‘M’ – Miruku(Milk) and Marin. They kept wagging their tails, and jumping on me and sniffing me until it tickled. Ah! The best welcome ever!

And Hikaru’s mother is one of the sweetest ladies I have ever met. I absolutely adore her. She is six years elder to my mother, but she looked like she was Hikaru’s elder sister! Of course she didn’t know English, so we used all devices possible to communicate. She took great care not to use katsuo bushi or dashi in the food she prepared for me. I had some extremely oishii Japanese home food there. If only I could have more understanding people like Hikaru and his mom at restaurants etc.!

The next morning after a filling breakfast, we headed over to an onsen called Yasuda onsen, where his mother would not let me pay. She said something to the effect that ‘mama’ will take care of it. I felt only a split-second moment of hesitation to take off all my clothes in front of her – she is mama after all. And then inside, when we were taking a shower before entering the real onsen, she came with a towel-like loofah and rubbed my back!!! I cannot recall a time when I had that luxury before! Maybe my own mom was the last person who scrubbed my back maybe when I was a child… but I have no memory of it.
We then headed to the nearest ski area so I could see snow. Maybe it was the effect of the onsen, but I had no need for the many layers of clothing I brought to protect me from the fear of cold. I put on an extra sweater only because of psychological cold, but really I didn’t need it. My parka was more than enough! I loved it. I was so happy and excited. Hikaru said later that only children are so happy to see snow the way I was. I wanted to play, but it had already hardened. I guess that it is possible to play only after a fresh snowfall, with soft snow that can be molded… It was great for skiing nonetheless. I was asked if I wanted to try my hand at skiing, but I think just walking on ice was enough for the first time!

Next, we went shopping for a special sweet called ‘maanju,’ (It’s like a small sweet bun with filling inside). Then, we went to a sake factory:The rice in Niigata is considered the best quality rice in Japan. So wine made from this rice is naturally also considered good. I was told many facts about sake as Hikaru has extensive knowledge about it and other alcoholic beverages. His old room was almost a storage area for wine!
We went to landlord’s manor later on. It wasn’t really great – the lighting was bad for photography and the trees were bare. It would have been best in autumn or at least a feet of snow for a visit. To wrap up the day, we went shopping for spices and I ended up making dinner – aloo sabji (potato curry), raita (yogurt salad); and bhatooré (fried naan). It was interesting… I hadn’t made aloo sabji and poori since Okinawa!

The second day, we went to an open air onsen – a rotenburo called Murasugi onsen. It was completely unmanned and had a sensor which made noise when a person approached the gate. You had to buy a ticket from a vending machine and simply drop it in the box next to it. The day before Hikaru had made me go in and ‘check’ it. If someone wanted they could just go in free. But the Japanese would never. Also its just 300 yen! So cheap! Therefore, no one would think of cheating! It was an old style, so it didn’t have a shower. Just strip and enter the water. I think there is pseudo-nudist in me. I just loved it. Out in the open amidst nature – in a bamboo forest; the roof of a Shinto shrine visible nearby; blue skies on top; and I, relaxing in hot blue waters… Ah! It was awesome. The water was actually very hot. Despite the winter season and cold air on bare skin, it took me a splash of cold bucket full of water and 5 – 10 mins of jumping in and out of the onsen to adjust to it! But once it was bearable, I just didn’t want to come out! We went to another onsen later that day so I could have a shower and it was a three-in-one kind of onsen. It had a sulfuric bath, a new style bath and a rotenburo bath. When I walked to the roten, it was snowing. So not only have I seen and touched snow, I have been naked in snow! :)
We had Tofu made from natural spring water near Murasugi onsen. (Seriously, that spring water was the freshest water I have ever drank!) We also had natural fruit ice-cream. I chose sakura (cherry blossom), special Niigata pears, and wild strawberry flavours. Hikaru had machha, cream cheese and sweet potato. I liked mine better because the sour taste of wild strawberries contrasted the strong sweet of the pear. And the man served me more strawberry flavour than the rest, so it was awesome! (I love sour taste best!)
We went to some big and famous shrine later on. I was unenthusiastic as such shrines are scattered everywhere. If you have been to Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, you don’t need to go anywhere else really... Again the light was bad for photography, and it was really cold to enjoy anything. Sun had gone down and it was drizzling snow, if you know what I mean… This time, I hardly did any research before going to. I usually undertake as extensive a study as is possible. I left it to Hikaru’s discretion to take me wherever he felt best. So I don’t really remember the name of the Shrine or the Manor.
It was coming near to the time when I would have to catch my bus back to Tokyo. We had actually bought more time by requesting to board the bus from a stop in the middle instead of from where it originated. When we reached what we thought was the stop, we found out that we were on the opposite side. We had a minute or so to the scheduled time! To get to the other side, we would have to take a round about. Hikaru was on the phone with a girl at the bus center. We were lost and couldn’t find the stop. It was nerve-racking. Last time I felt like this was when Dave and I ran against time to catch our ferry to Ishigaki (which we missed!) Hikaru had a car and we could have gone to the next stop, but it would have been a bit problematic for Hikaru to drive all that way. So it was critical to catch the bus here itself. Thankfully, it was running 10 mins late due to snow, so we made it. I don’t know if the bus was waiting for me or not, but it was standing there and the driver was outside waiting with the luggage compartment open. I was out of breadth and I managed to thank Hikaru, say goodbye and board the bus.

‘Mama’ had packed an ume onigiri bento (plum rice ball box) for me, along with maanju, cake, extra ume boshi (pickled plum), and Japanese orange called Nagasaki. She had used goma (sesame) with the rice, and packed the nori (seaweed) separately so that it wouldn’t get soggy. It was so good! I have not had a better onegiri ever! Am salivating with the memory of it!

On the way back it snowed like crazy in the first hour of the ride. I was amazed at the driver though, he overtook so many cars and went at a speed which seemed very fast considering the bad weather. When we stopped at the first service area for a break, I felt what real fresh snow feels like, and also made a chisai yuki daruma – or a small snowman! I wish we had more time at the service area so I play more. (Although, it wasn’t so much fun alone!)

On the way I saw so much snow – it had snowed maybe a feet or more. It was so beautiful. I started to cry. Most people who know me, know that there is very little that wouldn’t make me cry. I was really overwhelmed. I wanted this to have happened yesterday in central Niigata. I wanted to be able to run and jump in that whiteness. I wanted more time in that snow. I wanted time to freeze.

I would say that for a non-skier, it was not such a great time to have gone! After I left it snowed afresh in central Niigata (where I had stayed) and Hikaru told me to come back. Perhaps during the many interesting festivals, or spring/autumn would have been the better seasons to visit Niigata. But two of my utmost desires were fulfilled during my stay - to relax at an open air onsen and to see snow. Because of these I can say that my visit was successful. But I would still like to visit again with more research put into it, and see more of the cultural aspect of Niigata. Maybe next time I visit Japan…

(for all those who read this 2246-word blog entry: please tell me and you will get an unlimited number of free copies of my book, when I write it. Promise! :) )