As the title should make apparent, I am making the most of the last snatches of free time I have got with me. This is so because, starting August 8th, I will be a student once again (yipee…) for at least a year. I will be studying for the FPGDST (Full Time Post Graduate Diploma in Software Technology for those who have an acronym phobia) conducted by NCST at Kharghar.Yes, it does seem to be located at the other end of Planet Earth, but I know it will be worth it. Actually, changing fields from Civil Engineering to Software was never an easy decision but more about that in an upcoming post.For now, you can have a look at the portals that will be graced by the divine presence of yours truly.

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?

Actually I had planned to do the next round of character sketches as promised to someone who was really desperate to see his mug over here. But in keeping with my current mood of flying off on a tangent every now and then, I will proceed to give you all a glimpse into the dark recesses of my mind – my dreams.
I have read somewhere that your dreams are that part of you which are truly you – unmodified by your surroundings, upbringing, values etc. If that holds true, I must be Darkness personified, judging by what goes on in my mind while the body seeks its daily quota of regeneration.
While there are countless dreams of mine, which if visualised on film, would not pass the scissors of even the most lenient censor board, over here I will stick to something which is not so gruesome, but nevertheless mysterious/interesting, depending on the way you look at it. Depending on feedback, more will follow. So, here we enter the dark side:
The scenario seen in the dream is somewhere about 4-5 years in the future; wherein I am living on the top floor of a multi-storey building with huge glass walls through which I can catch the sights and sounds of the city flowing below. (Something like Aamir Khan’s Sydney residence in Dil Chahta Hai; only with all walls of glass). One night, past midnight, I am watching the city skyline, trying to gather some sleep, albeit unsuccessfully, when suddenly there is a knock on the door. I am under the influence of incomplete sleep and ignore the sound. After what seems like ages, the knocking starts again. This time, it has an almost hypnotic rhythm to it. I am terrified but something pulls me towards the door. On opening the door, I find nobody outside. This scares me even more. I close the door, come inside and am about to settle my chair when the rhythm starts again. This time, I am terrified beyond reason and almost run towards the door in a fit of blind fury. Again, there’s no one outside but this time I find a straw basket lying outside my door, covered with a dirty little piece of rag. On removing the rag, I find a newborn baby inside the basket – blood on its body and the umbilical cord ominously dangling. Its face is contorted as if it were crying but no sound can be heard. Beside the baby is placed a piece of paper and a cell-phone. I pick up the phone and dial the number written on the paper. At first, nobody responds. I try again, when a deep baritone echoes at the other end. I explain the situation to him and ask what the hell is going on. All he says is “You don’t always get what you want; sometimes you have to be happy with what you get”. Saying so, he disconnects the line. Further attempts from my side to get in touch with him prove futile. I am left with the baby, whom I then pick up in my arms. As soon as I pick it up, it touches my face and lets out the most blood-curdling scream I ever heard (in a dream or otherwise). Surprisingly, instead of being terrified by the turn of events, tears start flowing from eyes and I start sobbing. This is where the dream ends, leaving me wide awake and drenched with sweat, no matter in what season this occurs and even if I am sleeping right under the fan.
Also what I have observed is that whenever this dream occurs, my life takes a significant turn in some manner or the other. It was there when I fell in love, when I decided to give up on it and also when I experienced my first academic failure. So, in a way it’s a harbinger of change for me.
It’s been a really long post till now. I just hope that you have not fallen asleep and are not watching dreams of your own 😉

I have never believed in the concept of ‘love-at-first-sight’ (maybe ‘love-at-49th sight’; yes – that’s plausible). Strangely enough, I came REALLY close to falling prey to this phenomenon which has been done to death (and beyond) by our Bollywood Badshahs. In hindsight, it seems to be a silly experience but I must say I enjoyed it while it lasted 😉
It happened on the 18th of July when yours truly was browsing through some books at the British Library – the rain pouring in its entire glory outside. Suddenly, a cool breeze wafted through, a violin started playing in the background and in walked one of the finest specimens of beauty that I have witnessed in my (rather limited) existence on Planet Earth. Ok, so there was no violin around and the cool breeze turned out to be the A.C. outlet but that does not diminish the lyricism of the situation in any way. Dusky skin, big round honey-hued eyes (I am a sucker for them…), a shoulder-length boyish hair-cut…. “I was hooked” will be a gross understatement. A shy but honest smile and a pair of specs (another blow to my resistance) completed the package. Briefly put, she was poetry-on-legs. And she was sitting on the chair bang in front of me.
So what jolted yours truly of the enchanting reverie? Maybe my Emotion Control System went on auto-pilot launching Operation Damage Control but I think what ultimately did the trick was the looming presence of a 6.5 feet tall and 2.5 feet wide specimen belonging to the species of homo sapiens boyfriendus, which effectively put paid to any (unrealistic) hopes yours truly might have harboured.
I know this is the perfect anticlimax but honestly, that’s what transpired on that afternoon. In the end, I was left thinking as to what a heavy lunch, pouring rains and some good air-conditioning could lead to 😉

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Inexpicably, after a long time, yours truly finds himself in a blue mood. Maybe, the exam on Sunday is casting its spell. Maybe, the subconscious has wandered down memory lane once again, who knows? The overall mood is of inexplicable and unidentifiable disappointment; that of putting more into your relationships than what you get out of them. It’s similar to a performer who gets so engrossed with his performance that he doesn’t realise that the audiwnce has long walked its own way, leaving him playing for himself. Jumbled up? Just reflects the state of my mind. What I am going through at this very moment can be better expressed thus:

Came across this gem of a song while listening to FM yesterday night…
It never fails to moisten my eyes, never.
This particular couplet speaks of love that outlasts life itself, maybe too idealistic but nevertheless something which anybody would want to possess…

Jab hum naa honge, jab humaaree khaak pe tum rukoge chalate chalate
Ashkon se bheegee chaandanee mein ek sadaa see sunoge chalate chalate
Wahi pe kahi hum tum se milenge, ban ke kali,ban ke sabaa, baag-e-wafaa mein