There's something about taking time off, on a regular day which doesnt seem appropriate to me.
As a child in primary and secondary school, I prided myself on winning the "Full Attendance" Certificate at the end of each year. As the name clearly indicates, this certificate was awarded to students who came to school each working day of the academic year. Perhaps, it was an incentive installed for students who otherwise would be tempted to play truant at times. But for me, it was a matter of personal pride to march up to the dias each year and claim my prized certificate. Now in retrospect, it seems to me that, that had been an obsession.
Of most of my other weird qualities as a child, Mom distinctly remembers this one. Of course part of this discipline was inculcated in me, by her...but I do remember there being times, such as when I fell and had to get stitches on my cheek. It was an accident that required me to be away from school for a week or so. The pain of the fall or the stitches did'nt come close to that of having to miss school. The Auntys' from the neighbourhood, could not understand this syndrome in me, as most of them tried to show me the good side of bunking school, but I was adamant. That "Full Attendance Certificate" had to be won!!
In High School, things did'nt change that drastically either. When most of my friends were enjoying their newly found freedom to 'bunk classes', I was attending them, most of the time. Even though, what I did inside the class, during a lecture, came nowhere close to jotting down notes. Instead my in-class duties included signing the attendance sheet for my 'absent' classmates. However; I was more 'in' than 'out' of most of my classes in High School!
In Architecture School, things did change a bit more, although only in the last 2-3 years when there was too much work to get done. I did begin to bunk classes now - but only when pre-decided by the whole class, to mass-bunk the day! So you can still comfortably presume, I had'nt got too far yet from my 'sincere' attendance days. After all, if people mass-bunked, then obviously there would be no classes held and I would'nt miss anything. So I figured it made sense to stay back at home and work, if I didnt go to school. I still remember the vaccum I felt, after defending my Final year Design Thesis. There was actually nothing to do, and I could'nt handle that, honestly.
Working in Mumbai as an Architect, is no different than studying to be one; you work more hours than you sleep! So the one year of work/ fellowship that followed my undergraduate years, was pretty much like an extension of school.
In Architecture School in the US, life again took the same beaten path it did in Undergraduate school; more studio hours, less sleep, lots of work!
Now I am in the Working Phase of my life. Everything is smooth and my ship is sailing very well. Except, there are days when there's nothing to do, like today!
In big cities, big offices (such as ours) handle big projects (such as airports) which have big time frames (such as 5 - 10 years). That just means, that the pace of work is never uniformally structured or disciplined. Its super fast at times and absolutely slow at others. The problem with me is, I feel the latter more than I do the former, obviously on account of my 'regular attendance' background. It's not like I dont take time off to vacation, I do, quite regularly too at that. But, there's always this feeling of wanting to get back to routine when I am away from work.
As a child, I always wished I was in my parents' shoes - go to work in the mornings and come back home at night and then watch t.v/ read/ meet friends. No homework to do, no projects to work on, no models to make, no all-nighter's to pull through. It seemed like on the other side of the fence, lay this beautiful world where there was time for the pleasures of life. Little did I know that by the time I made the transition, I would be so used to over-work that the normal pace of work would seem slow to me.
I know for a fact, that the five years of my undergraduate life and one year of graduate life, were the most hardworking years of my life! I may have not come too far from them, in terms of time, but I will not be surprised if, even after some more years, I still think that. That does'nt mean that I will not work harder and achieve what I want to in the future...It just means that nothing seems tougher now!!!
When we were growing up, our parents told us that adult life is not as easy as it looks.....For some weird reason, I beg to differ!!!
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Monday, January 24, 2005
Philadelphia - 01/21 - 01/23
The weekend and the snow storm that passed was survived in Philadephia. Two and a half days; of non-stop talking (most of it on my end I believe, now that my voice texture seems to have changed), catching up with old friends, good "Gujju patra", excellent company and some beautiful moments.
The snow storm did'nt hamper the plans as much as we thought it would. It had already been pre-decided that this weekend was not to 'tour' Philadelphia, but to socially visit it. There were three people to be met up with and I figured 2 1/2 days would be enough for that. Turns out, it was perfect.
Weekend Impressions:
1. Newer relationships can be fostered with old acquaintances in new surroundings.
2. Almost every city on the East Coast, seems to have a thicker historical context and thus a unifying signage system, except NYC.
3. Snow storms are not as horrible as they sound, if you emphasize on the "snow" instead of the "storm".
4. The sight of a snowman is a source of delight to most people, irrespective of their age.
5. Maybe because I was on vacation and had time to stand and stare, I found men and women in Philadelphia more attractive than in NYC. Eventually I was convinced this could be so, since in the latter, more time is spent appreciating people's attire than their good looks.
6. Some people never change with time, some others, seem to change all the time.
7. Sometimes we don't realise how well our friends know us. That; that empowers them in certain ways, is another story altogether!
8. Frank Sinatra is good company on a snowy and pale pink night. So is some good post-dinner conversation that can run upto 4 a.m.
9. Irish men, Irish Pubs'....all rock!!
10. People, who...
- get out in the snow putting aside their apprehensions, for you...
- travel during a storm and wait patiently for trains, for you...
- make time out for you, especially when they have no time for themselves...
...are highly appreciated.
Sometime, I would like to give back the same to them.
The snow storm did'nt hamper the plans as much as we thought it would. It had already been pre-decided that this weekend was not to 'tour' Philadelphia, but to socially visit it. There were three people to be met up with and I figured 2 1/2 days would be enough for that. Turns out, it was perfect.
Weekend Impressions:
1. Newer relationships can be fostered with old acquaintances in new surroundings.
2. Almost every city on the East Coast, seems to have a thicker historical context and thus a unifying signage system, except NYC.
3. Snow storms are not as horrible as they sound, if you emphasize on the "snow" instead of the "storm".
4. The sight of a snowman is a source of delight to most people, irrespective of their age.
5. Maybe because I was on vacation and had time to stand and stare, I found men and women in Philadelphia more attractive than in NYC. Eventually I was convinced this could be so, since in the latter, more time is spent appreciating people's attire than their good looks.
6. Some people never change with time, some others, seem to change all the time.
7. Sometimes we don't realise how well our friends know us. That; that empowers them in certain ways, is another story altogether!
8. Frank Sinatra is good company on a snowy and pale pink night. So is some good post-dinner conversation that can run upto 4 a.m.
9. Irish men, Irish Pubs'....all rock!!
10. People, who...
- get out in the snow putting aside their apprehensions, for you...
- travel during a storm and wait patiently for trains, for you...
- make time out for you, especially when they have no time for themselves...
...are highly appreciated.
Sometime, I would like to give back the same to them.
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Travel-Log!
Travelling has been one of my life's most important aspects, ever since I was a child. Most of it came about as Dad's job description all his life, involved active travel, especially within India. This gave me the opportunity to see most of the country while I was growing up. (I remember Mom telling me stories of how I embarassed her as a child, when I was just one-year old and asked some Aunty on the train for her food)
For some part of my growing years, Dad lived away from us, which meant visiting him every summer vacation and thus exploring that side of the country as well. Later on, when he moved back to Mumbai, our annual family vacations to new cities resumed. Then Architecture school, literally took me to places all over the country in the form of study trips. By the end of it all, I was hooked to travel.
In the years that followed, when I moved out of India, travel took on a whole new meaning. Going back home to India was perpetually on the books. Coupling trips to Europe, en route became part of the agenda too. And of course, the US of A being such a vast country, much had to be explored here too.
The past three years have been crucial in terms of accomplishing some of my elaborate travel agenda.
At the end of 2004, I found myself looking back on all the places I had seen in the recent past and those that I intend on seeing, in the year coming up.
Just thought, that it may help to have a Travel-Log, to keep a record!
Travel-Log
For some part of my growing years, Dad lived away from us, which meant visiting him every summer vacation and thus exploring that side of the country as well. Later on, when he moved back to Mumbai, our annual family vacations to new cities resumed. Then Architecture school, literally took me to places all over the country in the form of study trips. By the end of it all, I was hooked to travel.
In the years that followed, when I moved out of India, travel took on a whole new meaning. Going back home to India was perpetually on the books. Coupling trips to Europe, en route became part of the agenda too. And of course, the US of A being such a vast country, much had to be explored here too.
The past three years have been crucial in terms of accomplishing some of my elaborate travel agenda.
At the end of 2004, I found myself looking back on all the places I had seen in the recent past and those that I intend on seeing, in the year coming up.
Just thought, that it may help to have a Travel-Log, to keep a record!
Travel-Log
Saturday, January 01, 2005
San Jose/ San Francisco - New Years' Eve/ Back to NYC - Days 8 - 9
Days 7-8 (Friday - Saturday 31st Dec 04' - 1st Jan 05’):
For most part of the day, Nicky and I were parading in her room, deciding what to wear! It was after long that we were doing this whole dressing-up-together act and it was fun to be all-girly again. We were going to a party in the San Jose Convention Center hosted by some DJ's called The Mythical East Company. It was to be a mainly desi event and most of Raj Sr.'s gang from work (also mainly Indian) was going there. So our attire, as Nicky and I planned would be a fusion of Indian and Western wear (as is the case in most Desi Partys')
Finally we agreed upon what to wear, after which it was time for hairstyling. We were going all out that evening, with our dressing-up:)
At this point, I must add a personal note: My best friend, Raga has always managed to screw up my hairstyles, ever since we were kids. Somehow she always persuaded me to be the model for her hairstyling experiments, at the end of which, almost always, I was left with close to a million knots and a bad hair day. Also, she came along with me for every haircut appointment and sat and browsed through magazines, inspite of my strict instructions to concentrate on the hair-cut instead. That of course left me with a bad hairdo for the next 6 months. Since then, I have been wary of taking her along for any haircut appointments or going to her for any hair-advice.
Going by my previous track record with Raga and my hair, I was skeptical to let Nicky do anything to mine. But seeing her work the curling iron on her's, I gave in and did not regret it. In fact, on returning to NYC, that was the first thing I invested in, in the new year!
All dressed and waiting for Raj Sr. to pick us up for the party. Raj Sr. and family (His wife Preeti and son Arav) were nice enough to come pick us up and together all of us drove to the venue for the evening. On entering the hall, Nicky and I lost all our previous apprehensions, about our attire for the evening.(Nicky had been going on and on about how women were dressed in evening gowns in the last New Year party she went to).
As expected, the place was desi-epitomised. I think the party had only-Indians (What else was I expecting in Indian-infested Silicon Valley anyways?), but glamorous Indians. For a moment, I was stunned to see the Indian crowd at the party, immediately realising that all these were Indians who work/ live in Silicon Valley. Whatever my thoughts may be on that genre of Indians, I could not take away the fact, that all of them were reeking of success and therefore wealth and style.
The Silicon Valley as we all know, is largely populated by Indians, but most of them from the software fields. That directly relates to their education and therefore wealth. In a lot of ways, Silicon Valley Indians differ from New York Indians, just as the two places differ from each other: in geography. Silicon Valley Indians, like their geography, form an overall unified typology with their successful lives, lavish lifestyles and Indian-American dreams. New York Indians, on the contrary, are as diverse as the city they live in themselves, they hail from all stratas of society, from cab-drivers to Investment bankers. Thus the Indian diaspora on both coasts offers diverse experiences, which directly connect to their professions.
Women at the party, were dressed in exquisite Indian wear, (As Nicky put it, it almost seemed like we had walked into a Wedding) while men wore western formals -everyone was dressed impeccably. There were hit Bollywood numbers in the air and a rather pathetic and poorly-rehearsed hostess took the stage. The food was undoubtedly Indian; we however did not end up eating as much since we were on the dance floor for the most part of the evening.
As the clock struck 12, we watched the crystal ball fall at Times' Square, another must-do phenomenon I have successfully managed to skip over the past few years. I guess when you live in a city, you take it so much for granted, that you end up missing out on some of its characteristic events. There's always so much to do, work to go to, routine to stick to, that "time to stand and stare" takes a backseat. In such a case, I usually stick to my "One place New with someone New in New York" dogma - since people are always visiting the Big Apple, the best way to make memories with them here, is to go see/ do one new thing with them, that I have never done before. So far it has worked and the best part is I have managed to see most of the touristy parts of New York, inspite of being a resident.
All in all, was a fabulous New Year's day, spent with close friends and their loved ones.
After winding up at 4 a.m the night before, Nicky and I began the new year by sleeping in till noon. Most of the day was spent packing and in the evening, I set out to come back to SF airport, to take my flight back home. The train journey through the Silicon Valley gave me time to surmise my impressions from the past week spent in California...
1. California was the first state I landed in, in the US. I stayed there for exactly a year and 14 days. That makes it my 'first' home in this country,
'first' ...Yes, 'best'...No:)
2. Going by the fact that some of my close friends reside there, it should naturally be my escape: a place I can run to, at anytime and where I will always have a place to stay. That, it is.
3. I enjoyed California more as a tourist than as a resident. Part of the reason may have to do with the fact that I was a poor student for the entire duration of my stay there. That I did not have a car, makes for the other half of the reason.
4. The fact that I do not long for a car in this largely automobile-driven nation, is also perhaps attributed to my initial year in California. The idea that a car is a necessity over a luxury does not appeal to me.
5. For the duration that I lived in California and was car-deprived (ask a native and they will tell you it's almost a crime), I navigated the city on foot.
Obviously distances were larger, neighbourhoods were spread out and the experience thus; least dynamic. What pulled me through were some very helpful classmates/ roommates, the buzzing Broadway Street, behind my apartment (with the most amount of people you can see on a LA street), a friendly nod by the watchman who probably knew me to be the only person walking on that street everyday and a ball of Mochi (Japanese sweet), in Little Tokyo, en route to school. An ocassional movie set and Hollywood film-shoot taking place below the apartment building, also helped:)
6. If I were to buy my own place, it would rather be an apartment in a high-rise with a fantastic city view than a three-storeyed, three car garage house in a proto-typical cul-de-sac. I know the former is also possible in California, but you cant account for people being part of that city view I am talking about.
7. Lastly; I thrive in a socio-cultural, populous and cosmopolitan environment, which is why I thrived at SCI_Arc (the school I did my M.Arch in, located in LA). Although the rest of California may be similar to it, it lacks in the 'populous' arena, which matters the most to me, of the three.
8. I have mentioned this before, but must repeat it again. People in California are like the weather, warm, sunny and kind. It is the random smile that you can expect from a stranger in California, that I miss at times in New York City. Not to mention the cheap wine available in sprawled out grocery stores, a dishwasher at home, laundry in the building and free alcohol in school; these would be nice too:)
For most part of the day, Nicky and I were parading in her room, deciding what to wear! It was after long that we were doing this whole dressing-up-together act and it was fun to be all-girly again. We were going to a party in the San Jose Convention Center hosted by some DJ's called The Mythical East Company. It was to be a mainly desi event and most of Raj Sr.'s gang from work (also mainly Indian) was going there. So our attire, as Nicky and I planned would be a fusion of Indian and Western wear (as is the case in most Desi Partys')
Finally we agreed upon what to wear, after which it was time for hairstyling. We were going all out that evening, with our dressing-up:)
At this point, I must add a personal note: My best friend, Raga has always managed to screw up my hairstyles, ever since we were kids. Somehow she always persuaded me to be the model for her hairstyling experiments, at the end of which, almost always, I was left with close to a million knots and a bad hair day. Also, she came along with me for every haircut appointment and sat and browsed through magazines, inspite of my strict instructions to concentrate on the hair-cut instead. That of course left me with a bad hairdo for the next 6 months. Since then, I have been wary of taking her along for any haircut appointments or going to her for any hair-advice.
Going by my previous track record with Raga and my hair, I was skeptical to let Nicky do anything to mine. But seeing her work the curling iron on her's, I gave in and did not regret it. In fact, on returning to NYC, that was the first thing I invested in, in the new year!
All dressed and waiting for Raj Sr. to pick us up for the party. Raj Sr. and family (His wife Preeti and son Arav) were nice enough to come pick us up and together all of us drove to the venue for the evening. On entering the hall, Nicky and I lost all our previous apprehensions, about our attire for the evening.(Nicky had been going on and on about how women were dressed in evening gowns in the last New Year party she went to).
As expected, the place was desi-epitomised. I think the party had only-Indians (What else was I expecting in Indian-infested Silicon Valley anyways?), but glamorous Indians. For a moment, I was stunned to see the Indian crowd at the party, immediately realising that all these were Indians who work/ live in Silicon Valley. Whatever my thoughts may be on that genre of Indians, I could not take away the fact, that all of them were reeking of success and therefore wealth and style.
The Silicon Valley as we all know, is largely populated by Indians, but most of them from the software fields. That directly relates to their education and therefore wealth. In a lot of ways, Silicon Valley Indians differ from New York Indians, just as the two places differ from each other: in geography. Silicon Valley Indians, like their geography, form an overall unified typology with their successful lives, lavish lifestyles and Indian-American dreams. New York Indians, on the contrary, are as diverse as the city they live in themselves, they hail from all stratas of society, from cab-drivers to Investment bankers. Thus the Indian diaspora on both coasts offers diverse experiences, which directly connect to their professions.
Women at the party, were dressed in exquisite Indian wear, (As Nicky put it, it almost seemed like we had walked into a Wedding) while men wore western formals -everyone was dressed impeccably. There were hit Bollywood numbers in the air and a rather pathetic and poorly-rehearsed hostess took the stage. The food was undoubtedly Indian; we however did not end up eating as much since we were on the dance floor for the most part of the evening.
As the clock struck 12, we watched the crystal ball fall at Times' Square, another must-do phenomenon I have successfully managed to skip over the past few years. I guess when you live in a city, you take it so much for granted, that you end up missing out on some of its characteristic events. There's always so much to do, work to go to, routine to stick to, that "time to stand and stare" takes a backseat. In such a case, I usually stick to my "One place New with someone New in New York" dogma - since people are always visiting the Big Apple, the best way to make memories with them here, is to go see/ do one new thing with them, that I have never done before. So far it has worked and the best part is I have managed to see most of the touristy parts of New York, inspite of being a resident.
All in all, was a fabulous New Year's day, spent with close friends and their loved ones.
After winding up at 4 a.m the night before, Nicky and I began the new year by sleeping in till noon. Most of the day was spent packing and in the evening, I set out to come back to SF airport, to take my flight back home. The train journey through the Silicon Valley gave me time to surmise my impressions from the past week spent in California...
1. California was the first state I landed in, in the US. I stayed there for exactly a year and 14 days. That makes it my 'first' home in this country,
'first' ...Yes, 'best'...No:)
2. Going by the fact that some of my close friends reside there, it should naturally be my escape: a place I can run to, at anytime and where I will always have a place to stay. That, it is.
3. I enjoyed California more as a tourist than as a resident. Part of the reason may have to do with the fact that I was a poor student for the entire duration of my stay there. That I did not have a car, makes for the other half of the reason.
4. The fact that I do not long for a car in this largely automobile-driven nation, is also perhaps attributed to my initial year in California. The idea that a car is a necessity over a luxury does not appeal to me.
5. For the duration that I lived in California and was car-deprived (ask a native and they will tell you it's almost a crime), I navigated the city on foot.
Obviously distances were larger, neighbourhoods were spread out and the experience thus; least dynamic. What pulled me through were some very helpful classmates/ roommates, the buzzing Broadway Street, behind my apartment (with the most amount of people you can see on a LA street), a friendly nod by the watchman who probably knew me to be the only person walking on that street everyday and a ball of Mochi (Japanese sweet), in Little Tokyo, en route to school. An ocassional movie set and Hollywood film-shoot taking place below the apartment building, also helped:)
6. If I were to buy my own place, it would rather be an apartment in a high-rise with a fantastic city view than a three-storeyed, three car garage house in a proto-typical cul-de-sac. I know the former is also possible in California, but you cant account for people being part of that city view I am talking about.
7. Lastly; I thrive in a socio-cultural, populous and cosmopolitan environment, which is why I thrived at SCI_Arc (the school I did my M.Arch in, located in LA). Although the rest of California may be similar to it, it lacks in the 'populous' arena, which matters the most to me, of the three.
8. I have mentioned this before, but must repeat it again. People in California are like the weather, warm, sunny and kind. It is the random smile that you can expect from a stranger in California, that I miss at times in New York City. Not to mention the cheap wine available in sprawled out grocery stores, a dishwasher at home, laundry in the building and free alcohol in school; these would be nice too:)
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