Putting pen to Paper - letting thoughts flow :)

"Its all so new and unheard of! Its like being born again at 22!"

At first when I came here I thought, "So its London .. Been there so many times before. Shouldn't be sooo much of a change right?" .. Well I was in for a treat alright. It all started with having my first glass of water. Now I've been here before, I've been to Singapore where the similar practice is undertaken but I'm still from a country where we dont directly consume tap water! I mean who does that?! Apparently EVERYONE here.

Then came the rules of the road. So your walking down the road say .. and you realize you need to cross the street and so it begins - the planning in your head of how to cross, look for an opening between the zooping cars without killing yourself right? Yeah; No. Not here at least. Maybe in Central London you'll find some of those rude drivers but definitely not here. You wanna feel like a Queen? Take a walk on any road side and simply stand at a crossing. Any car and believe me when I say ANY car coming at no matter what speed will come to a dead stop as soon as your foot's forefinger's nail touches the road.

This is getting a little boring .. I'm just gonna convert this into a poem ..

They drink tap water and park in squares,
The unpredictable weather always confuses you to wear a light shirt or layers,
The traffic and the people are all too polite,
They'll stop at the red lights even when there's no one in sight!

Laws are followed and balance is maintained,
The best quality of stuff is available here - right from Barley to Sugarcane,
We have sabzi mandi, they have Tescos and Azda,
their poor is our well-fed, their Maruti is our Mazda!

'English' - the word itself has so many different connotations now,
It could mean cold, diplomatic, clever, bland, historical, or make you wanna take a bow,
It is shit expensive though and highly overrated I tell you,
London has a vibe but its dead after 3, you have to walk crazy distances just to use a loo.

A storm will make news headlines if 3 trees fall and a handful die,
roads will be closed, trains will have bus diversions, delays will make you go *sigh*,
They're very efficient sometimes but are usually so lazy,
laid back, by the book attitude, boring and unrefreshed, like the climate - drab and hazy.

The Sun here teases you and teases you alone,
It wont come like a good friend for lunch to stay,
It'll come like a high school Principal for a cordial visit and then run away.
It'll be days before you see its light brightly shone!

Thankfully, they're not many insects here, just a few spiders and small fellas,
they'll show up every now and then just to remind you how you sound when you yella!
But the food though is horribly bland,
its like eating beach sand :S

The good thing is that things usually work,
fast internet, constant power, hot water, the system supports you to push forward,
around public offices you need not lurk,
Oh and for those who are fans, here its called 'Yogurt' not 'Curd'. 

The river is sublime in some areas and the long intertwined roads are a sight to behold,
Breakfast at Riverside Cafe, lunch at 'Foxes n Hounds', The Holiday Inn, The Boatyard Tavern,
The colourful leaves spring forth in autumn from Tress with small green molds,
the birds here are as if indifferent to us! They're just not scared! and it doesn't seem like they'll learn.

I think I'll stop now ... little sleepy .. plus its like 2:30 AM. Unless I'm still operating on Indian Standard Time, I should sleep if I know whats good for me.

Farewell.

Little Dandelion

Inspired by Audioslave's song 'Dandelion' 

There it lay, swaying politely under the sun,

Sinfree with glee, delicate like a flea,

Here I sit, writing this from London,

Happy to be here, but more so just happy to be! 

It's a quiet night with the road ahead lit up,

The silence is comforting, the cold is a fuck up,

Sometimes it's just nice to sit back and sip wine,

Especially when it's not mine ;) 

Yeah, I'll admit I drank your wine and ate your food,

Why do you think I'm in such a joyful mood !

Just like this little Dandelion I sway carefree,

Happy to be here; but more so just happy to be :) 

She sits in the garden lost in thought,

He rolls with his friends planning for cinema,

That one stands all alone, in his own world caught,

Oh did I tell you? My flatmate's name is Emeka. 

The romantic flavor of the air is fully engrossing and beautiful to be in,

The blowing wind freezes you from the outside but blesses you from within,

To ignore this magnificence and be lost in your problems is as much a sin!

As making a worthy horse purposely lose when you know he was born to win. 

Free verse ... Is such a boon, 

Can you imagine if I had to follow rules while writing this?

Rather than express myself freely, I'd be some disciplined goon,

I'd be adhering to grammar instead of being educated by bliss.

Its nice sometimes to just sit and feel,
like an Apple - complete, not like an Orange that needs to be pealed.
the song continues, the music makes you sway,
One can only sit back and wonder 'Ah! What a beautiful day!'

The food grows cold, the leaves grow still,
the berry mix is a beat, just like the movie 'Kill bill',
The blonde guitar, the perfunctory report,
the detailed analysis, the scared fort.

The endless story, the ring composition,
the disappointment in the longing eyes; The intermission.
the rolled up underwear, the sparkling sea,
I'm just happy to be here; just happy to be.

Beatbox thunder, drunk girls, pizza delivery and smoking,
abuses on your face disguised under the label of 'I was only joking!',
the never ending stench of responsibility, room freshner please!
Laundary, cooking, bank account, payment of fees!

This is a new way of living, unjust but free,
fuck it up - your fault, make it - your degree!
What you see is what you get; no hanky-panky,

I miss PACH yaar, and especially you Shanky!

We escape everyday to return to our reality,

I was once lost but now I'm profound, 

you have to accept your nature; cultivate humanity,

the automatic lights, the foxes at night, the leaf-blower mornings, 

accompanied by a plethora of unfamiliar sound.

The Water in a Smrinoff bottle, (the tap water mind you), 

the anti-bacterial spray, the 'You're holding the sponge wrong!' while cleaning the loo,

the unfamiliar plug points, the longing for home,

the fireworks on the wrong nights, the chanting of 'Aum'. 

The Dandelion still sways, 

yet the breeze is no more,

what a comfort it finds in just being,

while we all are still sore. 

'Teach me your wisdom!' I cried in admiration, 

'There is no wisdom' came the answer; 'Just unlearn everything you know!' 

So I sat with him a while shaking his hand,

Feeling so ... ? ... Feeling so. 

But I aint no Dandelion, I am human so I returned. 

Sharing my discovery with you, sharing what I learned. 

'Just be!' was his message, 'don't BE this or BE that!' 

such a simple message, such glee, such a pretty thing to look at.