College Annual Sports January 28, 2009

Well, after the trip I came back on time to watch the College’s annual sports. It wasn’t really a full-fledge sports which includes all kinds of sports. Just some track and field stuff. Since I’m not really a sports person I made myself useful by being a spectator and cheering whenever necessary. So, sit I did and looked for every opportunity to capture anything interesting.

There were four teams/houses competing against each other. Our department was No. 1 – from behind! Hehehe. There were just too few of us whereas other departments had a couple of hundreds or more students to pick from as participants. Well, the quantity didn’t deter the quality of our team spirit. We had a good time supporting not only our own team members but other underdogs :)

Here are some random shots.

Calangute Market & Fort Aguada January 26, 2009

Today we decided to visit Fort Aguada situated about 7-8 kilometres from Baga-Calangute. But before that I wandered about the local market looking for ikan masin (salted dried fish) especially requested by Jov! Rindu makan ikan masin sudah… Although I wasn’t disappointed but I think we have more variety back home. Well, they sold 12 medium-sized ikan kembung kering for Rs50 (about RM3.50). No bigger fish in sight.

As you drive through the fishing villages, one can almost feel tranquility in the air… You either see the sea, the pebbled beach, plenty of coconut trees or boats painted in bright colours. If there were an accommodation for rent in this area, we probably would have chosen to stay there instead of the noisy area that we are staying at currently.

The entrance to Fort Aguada was crowded with visitors when we arrived. They were mostly youngsters and in groups. But the perimeter within the fort was wide and spacious enough that people were sparsely seen. The weather was great and it was refreshing to see the wide, wide ocean from a higher ground. The blue of the sea and the sky just emphasized how beautiful Mother Earth can be.

Arambol Beach, Goa January 25, 2009

Unlike Baga-Calangute beaches, some parts of Arambol beach are quiet and void of the madding crowds. It’s located further north about 30 minutes drive away. Going through the narrow but asphalted road you would not see beaches in sight but villages, tiny towns, modest colourful Goan homes and churches. It’s pretty much a pleasant drive. It probably would have been better on motorbikes.

Arambol market is another place you could opt to go shopping for beach attires before heading for the waters. But be prepared to bargain (which I know little about!). I learned quite a bit from my travelling buddies as they are very good at getting a price even up to half of what was quoted.

Finally we reached the beach. There is actually a lovely accommodation at the inner side of the beach. It’s like little cottages for two. Very appropriate for honeymooners and those who feel like having some privacy. During the peak season (November to March), prices go up to Rs1200 per night.

The sun was 40 minutes away from dipping into the horizon. Walking along the almost secluded beach was something I really waited for. The soothing breeze, the cool sand, the peaceful look people had on their faces tell that they too were enjoying the whole experience.

This place suits me more than the other beaches we were at. I’m pretty sure I want to come back here…

Baga-Calangute, Goa January 24, 2009

We arrived at Baga-Calangute about 10:30PM last night. It was too dark to figure out where the beaches were but I’m sure I’ll find out soon. As I see it now, there are plenty of people on the streets – mostly white foreigners. It’s been some time since I’ve seen people (women in particular) wearing shorts and skimpy tops. And for a while I’ve forgotten that I’m actually still in India.

On first impression, Goa seems to be a happening place – a place to have fun, to let your hair down, to meet all kinds of people and to simply go with the flow. It’s a blend of Western musing and local exoticism. Familiar and yet foreign at the same time. Without doubt, Goa is very much influenced and shaped by the tourism industry.

By nightfall, we finally headed to Baga beach for some grubs. It’s an amazing sight (please excuse the shaky pictures, just no tripods to keep me steady). The whole stretch of beach is lined with restaurants, pubs and bars all lighted up to attract any hungry and thirsty human beings to its bosoms. Some even have fire shows to ensure the crowds will stay.

By the way this is how Baga-Calangute beach would look like in the day time. Plenty of people all waiting to be fried in the sun.

Here We Come, Goa! January 23, 2009

And so another travelling adventure begins! This time on a Mahindra jeep with three travelling buddies from Mumbai. From Pune it will take between 8-9 hours to reach Goa. Or so we were told. (But of course we realized later that time is always relative when you exclude time getting lost, answering nature calls, taking tea breaks, fuel refilling, etc.)

The sight from the top as we passed Mahabalesvar area, famous for its strawberries, hill stations and panoramic view. It’s also a favourite spot for the college to hold special getaway meetings for students.

One of the 4 or 5 highway tolls that we had to pass through. Fee was Rs47 for jeeps and vans. Now, it is a common practice here for a cashier or shopkeeper to give you candies in substitute for the few rupees change that needed to be return to you but do not have at that moment. Personally, I still prefer money instead of candies but never made an issue about it. Well, here’s how our driver dealt with it: Whenever he gave a Rs50 note, he would get three candies back. That happened several times. Well, on the last toll, he gave the booth operator Rs40 and seven candies. At first, he refused such payment but after reasoning with him that candy change wasn’t our choice either he had to accept it. It’s just fair, isn’t it? :)

One of the many stops that we took. Here’s a sugarcane juice stall. A glass cost Rs5 (less than 50 cents) and it’s normally mixed with a little ginger and a squeeze of lemon juice. Interesting taste but yummy!

Towards the city of Kolhapur this would become a typical sight. Bullock carts loaded to the top with sugarcane or other crops. The city is known for sugarcane and you would pass fields upon fields of sugarcane.

We got lost for about 40 minutes inside Kolhapur. Eventually we did get the right route. Here’s another stop this time for some chai (tea) break. So far the tea I’ve tasted here is pretty sweet with a hint of ginger. Reminds me of KK’s Teh Tarik Halia :)

The sun was almost setting when arrived at this hill point and we still had  another 200 kilometres to go!

Mid-week Thoughts January 21, 2009

It’s mid-semester exam week and so far I’ve killed two exams. Will have two tomorrow and one on Friday next week. Hmmm, somehow I don’t feel the pressure to crack my head studying this time. Anxiety does a lot of nasty things to people. Consciously or unconsciously. During or after. So. Planning to be online for the next two hours or so :)
Next week we’re having Sports Day and I was asked to join in the tracks and field. Haha. Can’t imagine myself sprinting like a young stunted gazelle in that dusty field. Naturally, I said no. On a lovely note, I’m planning to escape this weekend to Goa for a couple of days. It’s Republic Day on Monday next week, so it’s a rather long weekend. Bah. Will doodle some more when I’m into it.

Letting Go January 15, 2009

A quotation somewhere reads…

Letting go doesn’t mean giving up but rather accepting that there are things that cannot be.

Wise enough. Applicable in many pratical situations. Makes me think… is there a thin line separating the attitude of being positive and stubborn?

The Week’s Assortments January 9, 2009

1. The holiday mood isn’t really out of the woods yet. Like little rascals they tease, poke and make fun of my weak concentration at some theories of learning or multiple intelligences.

2. Met four new people over the week. So unlike me to be at ease meeting new people. But that was years and years ago. See, what age can do to people? Among others.

3. Then over strawberry-flavored tea and similarly sweet-sounding drinks to sip at 4PM, I committed a faux pas.
A: So how long have you been here?
Me: About six months now.
B: What do you think of the *Marathis so far?
A: (with an anticipated smile)
 C: (blinking and waiting)
 Me: (looking at their sincere faces, I opened my mouth and said with all sincerity) Well. They’re not exactly the kindest among all the Indians. (it was an opinion very much based on the newspapers that I had been reading so far and not by personal interactions with the Marathis)
 A & B: (snickering and looking at each other)
 C: (laughing) Really?
 Me: Yeah, compared to say… people from the South. They are friendly, hospitable and so generous (and I gave them accounts of my recent trip to Andra Pradesh).
 Me: Why are you guys laughing? (poked C as he was the nearest) Why are you laughing?
 C: (pointing at A & B) They’re Marathis.
 Me: (gulping for fresh air)
*people from Maharashtra

4. “There is another kind of love… One that gives you the courage to be better than you are. Not lesser than what you are. One that makes you feel that anything is possible.” From the movie Night in Rodanthe. A must watch for the idealistic and romantic schmucks like me.

5. So I decided to keep a goal card in my wallet – enlisting all five goals I have for 2009.

6. Reading something interesting this week: the effects and elements of emotions of each tone in a scale (Deryck Cooke, 1959 “The Language of Music”). For fun, try humming them out and feel the vibrations in your bones :)
 Tonic (or first note of the scale): emotionally neutral, context of finality
 Minor second: semi tonal tension down to the tonic, in a minor context spiritless anguish
Major second: pleasurable longing, context of finality
Minor third: stoic acceptance; tragedy
Major third: concord, joy, pleasure
Normal fourth: as a passing note, emotionally neutral (as a semi tonal tension down to the major third, pathos)
Sharp fourth: unresolved; devilish and inimical forces, used in connection with the devil and evil
Dominant fifth: emotionally neutral
Minor sixth: tension down to the dominant; active anguish in a context of flux
Major sixth: as a passing note, emotionally neutral (as a whole-tone tension down to the dominant, pleasurable longing)
Minor seventh: mournfulness
Major seventh: violent longing, aspiration

7. I bought two long shirts today. I fear the need of a pair of leggings too. And the word leotards came to mind. Made me laugh. So 80’s :)

8. It’s a weekend. I need to laugh more.

A Blossom Withers… January 5, 2009

…and left a mark in our hearts,
Her fragrance will linger,
For her gentleness and kindness
Has touched our lives.

One of the first persons that I got acquainted with on my first week on campus was Ms. M. K. She worked in the Education Department Library and gave everyone who enters the door a smile. Sad to observe but not many staff members on campus has a ready smile as she has. So naturally, her smiles, no matter how tiny a gesture it was, made me felt welcomed then. I got to know more about her in our short conversations every now and then. She taught Psychology to undergraduate students. A very enthusiastic teacher, so I heard. Although she was well passed her 50’s, she never got married. But being a spinster is not a flaw. Most often it is the society that forces the alienation of single people into feeling lonelier than the status implies. But that’s beside the story.

I thought it was a great loss when I heard of her sudden passing last Saturday afternoon. She was a friend to many, no matter the age gap. We attended her memorial service yesterday morning and I wasn’t surprise by how many people remembered her for her gentleness and her smiles. Goodbye, Ms. M. K. But I know we’ll see you someday again.

No. 36: Read Tuesdays With Morrie January 2, 2009

Robin Sharma’s Who Will Cry When You Die? has 101 inspirational thoughts and I came upon no. 36 today – to read the following book:

Incidentally I did read it last November and was deeply moved by what transpired between the covers. Based on a real-life account, the story revolves around an old professor and his former student. Morrie, the old professor, was dying of a terminal illness and under that circumstance he was reconnected with Mitch, the ex-student who was then a successful businessman. Every Tuesday, the former student would visit his favourite professor and for the remaining months that he was alive he imparted to Mitch some of life’s greatest lessons: how to avoid a life of regrets, the value of family, the importance of forgiveness, the meaning of death, and life’s little pleasures. It’s a book that should be read by everyone who wants to live a more meaningful life. It will remind you that life’s simplest pleasures are there for you to enjoy and appreciate daily – make time for them no matter how busy you are…