I've been out for a while - i know. Lot of friends are mad at me - for not writing enough to them, for not calling enough, not staying in touch, not meeting up before suddenly disappearing from bangalore ! Well, now that the winds of change have started blowing in familiar directions, and it seems like a home close to heart is farther off than a house close to the brain - i think its right for me to fill everyone on whats been "up" with me....at least before I'm back to tell y'all in person!

First things first - Sorry i couldnt meet many before going. I hardly had any time. I had 3 days (yep) to pack, ship my stuff, get my tickets/travel sorted and fly !...That left me with 3 days with hardly any time to even eat....and Y'all know if i didn't get time to eat - that means i really didnt have any time at all.

Ok...now coming to the weird things that happened around the time and my realizations in life.

1. Never get lost in music, at the airport - I was supposed to go to udupi, to say bye to the beach one last time. But thankfully, after a lot (LOT - as one of you know!) of rush, i reach the frekkin airport 2 hours too early, only to find the frekin flight delayed by 1 hour. That gave me 3 hours to contemplate the meaning of life in the airport. And of course I had to listen to music, and relax. And of course, i had to watch cricket - something I've never done ..except during the 20-20s. The freakin flight (Jet airways, you suck - im no longer flying you) changed the departure gate, and announced it (which i missed thanks to the music), and the flight came and went ! I always wondered how it is to miss a flight - now i know!
Moral: Being too prepared for something can actually be worse than being not prepared at all - coz being well prepared is one step away from complacency !

2) Always complete packing a few hours before the flight - 2 days after my great adventure missing the flight, I was supposed to leave home at 3am. Thankfully my parents were around to force me to pack (well, they packed anyway hehe) well in advance. At 1030pm I get a call from British Airways that the flight is cancelled due to snow in London and that the alternate Lufthansa leaves 4 hours earlier than my scheduled flight - giving me 1 hour to pack my ass and leave home !! Thankfully I was more or less ready, and only thing I missed was dinner ! So much for my long speeches that last minute packing is best because u dont forget anything that way... :-D...
Moral of the story: Sometimes life kicks u in the ass and tells you, "you're philosophy is like pissing in the rain"

3) Never trust a brand name - I was all happy this time around that I'm not going Air India. That innate feeling that air india sucks in quality because..well...its "made in india" (no offense). I was glad to be flying Lufthansa - so glad that I even applied for a frequent flyer card (which never arrived even to date). But imagine this - for all that jazz, the economy class on the Lufthansa is like a frekkin domesting Kingfisher flight. Air india is a million times better. The journey till Amsterdam was like travelling in those TV buses from Electronics city to Jaynagar. Looking at some stupid TV hanging on the roof, playing some nonsense. No individual TV panels !! So much for Lufthansa quality. Thankfully, at least the flight from Amsterdam to Chicago had the TV panels - so I was content at least by the time I reached my destination !
Moral: Always "patafy" the girl who wears no make up. Once the make up comes off, you might end up shocked and scarred for life!

5) Staying 4 star rocks - until you see the bill :) - I ended up misunderstanding a document of reimbursements (hehe) and decided that my company will pay for my stay at a 4 star. The bill was maginificient, and it felt awesome to be pampered ! Thankfully, I found out about the REAL policy before I had to file bankruptcy and moved to a cheaper one..hehe...
Moral: Check your socks for holes before wearing sandals with socks (deep thought required here!)

6) Second/Third home - now I'm in my smaller hotel (still costing around $90 per day) - feeling like the reverse slumdog millionaire - hehe. Coming back to minneapolis feels strange...and comforting. Everything seems familiar, and "been there done that" - so its easier to lay back and enjoy the real feelings. Its so amazing how much you can miss when excitement is the only feeling you can feel ! Once you relax and see things, it just feels so much different - and amazing. Went to watch delhi 6 and ran into a bunch of friends from my ex-home (from last time's stay). Went downtown shopping and saw familiar cops/shopkeepers/busmates.... suddenly you realize that the world isn't that big when you know the world!

Ooh, one thing I must add - AR Rahman is forgiven. I had decided to quit listening to him, after getting PISSED BEYOND WORDS for ruining Beethoven's 5th Symphony by remixing it with Salman Khan blabbing shit (in Yuvraj).....the thought of hearing the idiot's voice instead of the sweet melody makes my blood boil. Anyway, thanks to Shruti - I heard delhi 6....and I was blown away. The delicate tones of Masakkali and Dil Gira Dafatan, have absolved Rahman of his sins.

Moral: You're nuts if you managed to read the whole damn thing !!!