We hurt each other….and we’ll do it again

Drained again......

Ever had one of those days where after every move, you just feel this impending loom? Your head is just whirling, and everybody's just a blur!?! You can't hear people...all you can hear is voices?!? When life just seems to be in a state of decay, and you just wish you could step aside and watch it from a distance!?!

Invictus it aint

“Balachander…Hope I got dat rite! I feel like tokin but mayb ur sleepin! M goin 2 go home now! I want 2 not go back 2 office cuz m sleepin! U up or wat? Say?”

- Is that poetic or what? How can you not like someone who gets drunk and writes with so much intensity. In fact, the depth of that message just shook my very foundations. Especially, "I want 2 not go back 2 office cuz m sleepin." She'd like me to believe that she has graduated kindergarten.

Listen to the Voice

This is a post I had put on a blog sometime back. The blog was a total sham, primarily due to my ineptness at handling a blog and more importantly, due to the fact that I'm a proud citizen of this country I love, PROCRASTI-NATION! I'm trying to reinvent the habit. I would love to give me a ball park figure of how far this expedition will reach, but I cant.

Anyway, this is what I had left unfinished........

Twas only a fortnight ago. I was at the edge of sanity, trying really hard to devise an escape route. Work was errr..hardwork; Life was in a twist; Alter Ego(my band) was out of any gainful employment. A severe lull had just enveloped every facet of my existence. I was really up against it, and despite my best efforts, the cracks just seemed to be widening in my otherwise blemishless arsenal(my happy exterior). But then, a voice inside my head(actually inside my ear when Sunil called me from Pune) said, "Dude, gotta go to this place. Phirang land, good stuff and byootiful locale." For once, I took a chance and humored the otherwise much maligned and seriously ignored voice(both- Sunil's and the one in my head).

After a lot of frantic last minute chopping and changing of the list of those who wanted to take this pilgrimage, we set out on this fateful journey on March 10, 2006 AD. Initially, there were only four of us and a fifth wayfarer later joined us in the revered land-Mcleodganj. The journey to the place is a rather arduous one, and our ride (HP Travels Soopar Delux Coach) didn't make it any easier. Add to it the fact that our driver was only willing to stop at really seedy places and it just made the journey tougher than a Haj to Mecca. And the restrooms at these places!!! The only words that come to mind are "EEEEEEYUUCCKKKKKK" or "EEEEEEEEEEEEYAAAAAAAACCKKKKKK" (DEPENDING ON WHICH PART OF THE WORLD YOU COME FROM).

However, the journey was made somewhat comforting by my fellow pilgrim, Yosho, who stayed up most of the night chatting with me (muchos gracias), while Smitey and Sumit just hit lulla land pretty much from the get go.

After a really long twelve hours, we finally hit Dharamshala, and had to take a cab up to Bhagsoonath (upper Mcleod), where we decided to park our weary asses. Checked into this dream hotel, where we got some hot discounts as well, and just laid low fer a while. All of us felt really drained by the journey, and could have used some rest….did I say all of us???!! all of us except Yosho. Despite the rain, she wanted to go trekking (bundle of energy) the moment we got there. So, all of us being the drones we were, just toed her line and did exactly as told-hauled ass.

Showered and scooted. After a really forgettable breakfast (where Yosho ended up having mixed fruit cornflake- hoo haa haa), the rain started coming down and we dashed, actually strolled, back to our hotel. Got wet in the process, and I’m still coughing because of that misadventure. Lazed about in the hotel for a while, and then set out on our discovery trip. Despite the steady pitter patter, we went about like dedicated worker ants, in our small five-pack, and uncovered a lot of sights and sounds of Mcleod. Made a stop at the much recommended Mcloes, where we had finger-lickin-good lunch (best in Mcleod). During lunch, Smitey and her other (maybe not so much better ) half got involved in a small debate, which snowballed into a great debate, which just ended up as a really bad situation. This situation had the capacity of ruining the entire pilgrimage (I keep calling it a pilgrimage in spite of the trip being far from holy), but just when things seemed to be getting out of hand, I stepped in and waved my magic wand and everything was ironed out. Oh, the power of conviction (and a lot of pleading). This done, we set out to see more of the place, but in all honesty, didn’t really end up discovering anything earth shattering. But then, we weren’t looking to discover anything earth shattering. Just the fact that there were all of us together was enough for us to have a rocking good time.

So, a little over 5 hours and 25,193 hysterical laughter moments later, we finally got back to our hotel. Everybody just piled on into the public dustbin (our room), and started taking shots. Not at each other, but of the assortment of alcohol that was available. Dug into some Truth and Dare as well, which turned out to be a damp squib as everyone knew everyone too well. Some odd minutes later, and it only took some odd minutes for everyone to get really groggy, we proceeded to our respective rooms and crashed. This is pretty much all the action we got the first day of this tryst with Mcleod. More to follow....off to sleep for now