Crossing Roads!

Crossing the road is a task and a half. I mean if you live in a country like India, you've to look all directions...have a 360 degree vision yo!

I've been in Canada for 3 weeks now. And crossing roads here is easy peasy. They have the signal to let you know when you can cross. You don't have to do the whole "look right..look left..yada yada.." Now, you just have to stare at a signal that has a walking man.

Ever noticed how awkward it is when you're crossing the road? I mean if you're a group of people, all well and good. But when it's a couple of people...or you're alone. Man! It's like all eyes on you bro! And you don't know what to do? Do you smile? Wave? Look down? Why should I look down? I'm not ashamed. Should I do a dance and entertain them? Should I look straight? If I don't smile, they're gonna think I'm a bitch. OMG I'm the chicken crossing the road!

See in India that's not a problem. Because while you're moving, so is the traffic.

So many thoughts. So many awkward moments. Or maybe it's just me. Let me know. If it is...then I need some serious help.

Stay safe.

(I really couldn't think of anything else to blog about...any ideas are more than welcome.)

Updates, Travel, Thoughts & Discussions

I know I haven't blogged in ages and the handful of people who actually read my blog, I sincerely apologise. But I do have my reasons. I'm travelling! From Bangalore to Dubai to New York to Toronto! Yes. That's a lot. Expect a lot of travelogues soon!

Moving on, recently, while I was in Bangalore, my career options dawned upon me. I decided that travel journalism is it. I mean, who doesn't love travelling? And I also discussed all these thoughts with my friends and family. To which many people asked me or told me, "Watch Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani!" and am like...okay? Apparently the main character is a traveler. Yay him!

So 2 days back, I finally watched the movie. I'm not going to review it. But this further led to a more interesting conversation with my sister. I said the movie was ironic as the character who had traveled the most knew less about life than the character who had stayed put in one city. To which my sister added on..."Travelers go and see touristy places; the same place that every man would see. One who stays put in a place knows every corner of the city...they explore the unexplored and discover something new." Which is life, right? We'd all rather discover something new rather than dwell on the same things over and over.

So that's my post folks. More will come up probably around September.
Happy Summer everyone! :)

London

So I was in London a few days back. It's not like I've not been there before, but this was my first time exploring the city alone. The sole purpose of going was to apply for my Canadian Visa, which look about 2 hours only. Very efficient, I must say.

1 and a half days in London. Alone. Best experience ever. Recently, I knew I deserved a break. Lots going on with work and life in general. I really needed a break from Swansea. Don't get me wrong. Swansea is a lovely place. But once in a while, it's good to be alone in a crowd of people. Rewording that, it's good to be in a place like London.

London is a city worth exploring. I know many people who travel like to explore the unexplored. But I believe that exploring the explored can be equally exciting. Why? We are all different people. Seeing something from your perspective is seeing it differently. This is why opinions matter. If we all looked at something from the same perspective, life would be boring.

When I arrived in London Paddington, I just sat there for an hour, staring at people. I was in awe as to how many people there were! Furthermore, the cultural diversity of the city is amazing! From Africans to Indians to various Europeans! So many people from all over the world! I felt like I was at an International Conference of Trains or something. You don't hear only English being spoken. It's every language you can think of: Spanish, French, Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi, German and so on.

After my hour of observation in Paddington, I headed out to Soho. Soho's night life? Happening. Such a live place. Loud. Plenty of people. Music booming from everywhere. People dressed up. Youngsters everywhere. Smoking. Drinking. Very live!

The next morning, I headed to the Canadian High Commission on Grosvenor Street. At 6am. Grosvenor Street is parallel to Oxford Street. So I had to pass by Oxford Street. Guess what? Busy even at 6am! People walking at a fast pace with coffee on one hand and a newspaper on the other. Most people rushing to work or rushing to catch the tube to work. It was amazing! I felt so safe in the presence of such a vivacious crowd!

After my work at the Canadian High Commission, I just walked around the city. I had a day pass.  I went to every place I could within the given radar. Started off with Oxford Street. That place is a beauty. Busy all day, people rushing about every minute. It's like the Time Square of London. Really. Oh and another thing. I had to hide my face and walk around. The shops around are so tempting. Student budget and what not. Just walk and wave. Walk and wave.

I then went to London Bridge. It was amazing! I stared at it for a few minutes. Busy traffic all over, cool breeze once in a while. It was a good feeling. I regretted not carrying my camera. But if I did, I probably would not have been allowed inside the Canadian High Commission. So meh.

I could only look around the place for a couple of hours. But those few hours were some moments of my life I would never forget. Sometimes, it's good to stick with the regular than trying to be unique. Don't always try something new. Try the old too. You might discover something new in the old!

Love, Marriage and all that

Recently, my sister and I were talking about marriage. She told me, "You have to get married. But not early." And I was like "Cool cool." all chilled. Then she says, "Find a guy from Canada! Then we can live together." And I was like "Cool cool."

Again, I have a cool mother. She said, "Anu, please find yourself a boyfriend." And I was like "Cool cool." (Bet you guessed my reaction). Mom continued, "But he has to be Hindu, Brahmin, Iyer if possible, okay?"

Sigh. Do you fall in love with specifications? It's not like I am going to ask the guy before I fall in love with him, "Are you Iyer? Do you live in Canada?" I'll just fall in love. I am not going to fall in love with him because of his geographical location but because of his personality; how he is as a person, how he treats me, what he likes, what we share in common and so on.

I recently read a quote:

"Much of the pain in life comes from having a life plan that you've fallen in love with, and when it doesn't work out, you become angry that you now have to pursue a new life plan. If you want to tame your inner demons, you must not become too attached to any particular life plan, and remain open to there being an even better, happier life plan."

Therefore, I cannot plan who I fall in love with. I can just fall in love.

Having said that, the rate at which I am going, I will eventually end up marrying someone my parents choose for me anyway. So this blogpost is for people who still believe they can find someone on their own :P Peace and love to one and all :)