November Rain...

It's that time of the year here in US when the Christmas spirit is yet to be magical and the thanksgiving spirit is responsible for making your days all warm and fuzzy. The beautiful colors of fall have all dried up and the snow yet to come. So what remains... November rain!!
Rains in Mumbai and US are way too different from each other. In Mumbai, the rain is warm and the wind is cool, in US the rain is cold and the wind even more colder. Somehow the sweet smell that drifts up when cool water drops fall on the dried up ground doesn't exist here or maybe its just because the windows have to be closed over here all the time that we do not realize. In Mumbai you feel like getting drenched, looking up at the sky and smiling. here its so cold when it rains I go running into my closet to search for an extra jacket that would fit snuggly under my raincoat so not a drop gets through... In Mumbai i carried an umbrella and purposely closed it up when i walked back home, got wet, and told mom that the wind was just too much for my umbrella to handle. In US my only umbrella has lost its precious button and hence the ability to open. I cursed myself a thousand times today morning when i realized i had yet not yet bought a new one to replace that. Consequences of procrastination : Stuff the laptop compartment in your bag with free newsletters to avoid your laptop from taking a shower while you run to the nearest bus-stop shelter. Use your coat to cover the bag till you realize you aren't a polar dog meant to run through temperatures this low and decide to screw what happens with the laptop and cover yourself before you realize you have a few digits missing. I never knew that all the sneakers you got back in Mumbai that advertised "how your feet could breath through your shoes yada-yada" were actually true. I feel like duct taping all those tiny vents in my shoes when the wind is too cold or its raining outside, cause believe me if there was any more ventilation than this i'd rather walk just in my socks and not wear any shoes at all.
 Rains in Mumbai would mean mom is making hot Pakoda's at home cause dad loves them. In Mumbai no matter how much it rained my 'hot cup of tea' stays hot for long enough for me to sip it with pleasure, in US i have to reheat my cup of tea at least 3 times before i can finish it and not have gobbled it down.
However in Mumbai or in US, long conversations with friends over hot coffee/tea always remain the most rocking part of your day, a good book always seems to get you out of my rainy blues and into a great mood, a mushy/funny movie is always appreciated, a hot tea/coffee cup in your hand (even if its reheated a million times) is always welcome, warm socks and that snuggly jacket is always searched for, wish to meet your loved one is always gossiped over and mom made Pakoda's are always remembered.

PS: Pic of somethings that make a cold day worthwhile..

Somethings are best, unplanned...

What is this life if full of care... we have no time to stand and stare... :)
                                                   - Leisure by William Henry Davis
This trip has been like the ones many of us plan and never get to execute.. The one trip without any plans.
The flight braved through a lot of clouds and made me feel like i was on some bumpy, roller coaster ride. Me and my friend actually started wondering what our last wishes would be if this was it for us :P. One and half hour after we had been airborne we landed safely at (very wet) Cleaveland Ohio. The connecting flight was even more of an adventure as the pilot seemed to be an ardent fan or F1 racing cause he turned the plane on the run way in speeds that seemed unreal for planes to be reaching at least when they are on ground. and as soon as he turned instead of the customary stop that planes take before getting into the 'take off' mode just gained more speed and within a a minute we were airborne.. phew! that was ...well something!!

The drive from the airport to mad-mex (a Mexican place that is supposed to be famous but i didn't like a thing that they served ) gave me a small glimpse of  a beautiful town on the banks of Hudson. It kept throwing up bridges after bridges lit up in a million ways and each built with a new shape in mind. Somehow I always seem to take a walk in the new place i am in either by coincidence or intentionally immediately after i reach. A 1st feel of the place. As luck would have it, our Pitsburg friend had to drop off his zip car and hence gave e an opportunity to see pitsburg out on the streets. The walk back gave me a view that i knew i would rarely get a chance to see. A walk down the empty roads of a new town at midnight. A town bathing in its own beauty. Minus the people. Just the buildings that are lit up in their own glory . People studying in the library. Cathedrals that have their domes bright and shiny, as if looking over the town. A visit to a gas station to arrange for tomorrows breakfast and the fear in the cashiers eyes when he sees someone a little too much in frolicking mode enter the shop. The walk home with my breath heavy with mist as the wind got colder.

The next day was exactly how  I could not have planned it.  It was raining when we got out of the house. The wind was cold but the streets filled with students. Again a different side than what i had experienced the previous night. Both CMU  and UPit are beautiful. The buildings are a good mix of old and modern architecture. Some even a 100 years old. Every hallway smells of fresh brewed coffee and old books. Every corner filled with students and laptops. Concert rooms humming with live recitals still ring in my ears. A little farther down the hallway a course on bagpipes mesmerizes you.Sculptures made from soft white stones adorn the hallways and there at the center of the campus stands a huge art work called "a walk to the sky" which is actually a huge pole slanted at about 30 degrees and has people walking on it skywards. Seems a little out of place but who am i to judge when IU campus has a mermaid and a huge red 'almost circle' as artwork. However  all these places reminded me of my school back in Bloomington and how everything about it is so much more beautiful. It also makes me realize i need to go explore my neighborhood more. That the best parts are yet unseen.

Next came the best part of the trip. A random walk without any plans made ahead of time, that made us take an impromptu break at Starbucks where I had some divine Cinnamon flavored coffee. Against the cool wind the burning hot coffee tasted like 'life' itself...A few steps ahead and it was time for another break, this time at the CMU museum of natural history, but as all unplanned things go we ended up chatting in the cafe for an hour rather than visiting the museum itself. Sitting at a place and watching the town go by tells you an entirely different story about any town. Students that crossed the roads. People huddling up close to each other as they walked passed. A lot of colorful umbrellas. A woman with all american clothes and pretty Indian earnings (jhumka's) that walked past with a huge smile on her face. A family enjoying a sumptuous meal on the table next to us. All of them a part of this town, its all of them that make this one different from the rest that exist. This town was more of youth and less of business suites walking around. This town was more of books and coffee and less of football. This town was more of food and museums and less of bars.

We did ultimately reach our destination (downtown) at about 6 in the evening. Ate at a Chinese restaurant where we ended up ordering just a lot of vegetables and no curry.  The fried rice was the best i have tasted or maybe i was just very hungry.  my friend looked at google maps and i looked at the shop names. Guess who was to discover the Burlington coat factory first?? I can't believe i beat google maps to it. Spent a lot of time trying on different hats, almost all the shades that were on display and every shoe that was available in a size larger than 8 (Disappointed as there were not much that were that big). Then some crazy impulse overtook us and in freezing temperatures we went to McD's and got ourselves some even more freezing mocha's. Up untill now only our bodies were cold now every inch of my body within me was freezing too, but it was a sinful experience none the less. A perfect unplanned 1st day ended with a sumptuous meal at an Indian restaurant with some really fantastic Indian food all complete with Samosa's, Naan's and Punjabi vegetable curries with paneer and not the usual tofu we find at every nook and corner. A meal where we ate cause our taste buds wouldn't allow us to stop even thoug i am sure if your stomachs could speak they were screaming bloody murder. A walk back home into the warmth of the night and the onset of diwali completed my day 'in another place', 'another town' and 'another everything'..But it will always be back to you.. just not today! Let me unplan for a few more moments here.

Pics: a bridge from the many during the drive from the airport and the freezing frape mocha's that two freezing souls devoured just on impulse.. :)