Hello!
Looks like it's time for another update on my state of affairs. It's harder to tell these days when to write as I'm no longer traveling or having grand adventures - but just working in the office living on a fairly regular schedule. Let's see...
I went hiking a couple of weekends ago. I had entirely intended not to go because I was a little sick and wanted to sleep in on Saturday, yet Andy, Susan, and Ko came to my doorstep at 7am promising me open fields to run around and throw a frisbee in. Having spents this past month in Mussourie searching in vain for a place to just put on my cleats and run around - this was like a call to heaven. I immediately ran to my room and threw my cleats and disc into a backpack without thinking of the consequences of my action. I didn't take heed to the fact that, yes I was still sick. Also I didn't eat breakfast and failed to pack anything in my haste. I also didn't notice that it was cloudy, muggy, and about to rain outside. All these things became the end of me as we embarked on our hike. The place we went to, George Everest House, was an old house of some sort (of exactly what sort, I have no idea) that had a field adjacent to it. That's the only detail I cared about. I didn't care to question how far away it was, or exactly what they meant by field. Of course I imagined an immaculately pruned, lush green soccer field at least 150 yards long. Well........six hours later, after walking up and up and up and up and up - I arrived at George Everest House completely exhausted and degected at what lay in front of me. First of all, we were so high and up and it was so foggy that to see beyond 15 feet in front of you was an absolutely possibility, so forget about throwing a frisbee at any reasonable distance. Secondly couple that with cold rain, that was slowly soaking into me every hour of that hike up the mountain. Then finally, come to terms with the fact that what was next to George Everest House cannot be considered a playing field by even the most optimistically minded. It was filled with growing bushes every 2 feet, large amounts of livestock dung, and a gigantic sinkhole in the middle to top things off. Overall it was maybe only 40X20 yards big anyway. It's hard to say though, since, like I said, you could only see 15 feet in front of you. So, as you can imagine, I felt betrayed, not as much by my friends, but by my own enthusiasm, my own willingness to abandon reason at even the slightest promise of ultimate. Yet once I got over this, things started to take a turn for the better. We decided to go to the nearby Tibetan settlement, Happy Valley, from there. We were escorted the entire way by a pair of young, black energetic puppies. They would run in front of us chasing each other, playfully running in between us - warning off monkeys and keeping our spirits up with their pure kinetic energy. They followed us for maybe 4 or 5km before eventually disappearing, probably at the possibility of finding something to eat.
The Tibetan settlement itself was a refreshing experience. It had a quaint feel to it. Even more so than Mussourie (where I live) which was surprising, but welcomed. Since we were near famished by this point, the Tibetan meal at the local mess hall was a godsend. We ordered 4 plates of momos, 3 plates of chowmein, 2 bowls of soup, 2 pieces of big tibetan bread, a plate of beef, 7 sodas, and some other things for a total of 250 rupees which is about 5 dollars. Great - worth the trip. We emerged outside, our stomachs full, our bodies rested, and saw that there was a high school soccer game going on in the big dirt soccer field located in the middle of town. It seemed like everyone under 25 in the entire village (with many people over 25) were there watching it, heckling and cheering every bounce of the ball. It seems like all the good players want to play offense so the worst players were stuck playing defense. As you can imagine, without great defenders or a good goalie, the games can become a shootout very fast. That's exactly what happened. There were several pretty sick moments including a free kick that was bent into the top right corner of the goal and a viscious foul in the box that resulted in a penalty kick. The soccer game was great to watch. The energy from the crowd was contangious and it was clear that the players could feel it while they were playing. It made for a very pleasant trip and a very pleasant visit to Happy Valley.
Well that was a longer explanation than I originally intended. Other than that, I've started to mess around with Indian cooking. That could yield pleasant results for some of you when I come back.
I started an oil painting class that meets once a week taught by this crazy South African woman that says like "terps" when referring to terpentine. "Pavan, use the terps." "Pavan, you can never have enough terps." "I bought those terps at the stationary shop." Goodness... Anyways, Susan took a really depressing picture of me and of course, that was ideal for me. When I'm done I'll have a nice and depressing self portrait to stare at on stormy nights. I'll probably hang it in my room, in a ode to the vanity I grew accustomed to living with Prashanth.
Also I went to a wedding this weekend. It started 2.5 hours late and was a madhouse. Duh...indian wedding. One of the office's cooks had a daughter that was getting married and we were all invited to the wedding. It was crazy in the sort of way that all Indian weddings are.
That's all for now I think. I watched the Dark Knight again, a couple of days ago - man, what a great movie. That last shot with batman riding into the light with this cape flapping in the wind - love it. It's pure batman, pure unadultered romantic batman.
Okay hope you're all doing well. Someone watch a Bulls preason game for me.
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