VW mode

What do you do when you cant think of an appropriate title?
What do you do when you look at someone, like someone, and find that you just dont have it in you anymore?
What do you do when you can take the worst of the mental assaults without batting an eyelid, and yet you are only too aware of a few things, a few things that could tear down those invincible barriers in a few seconds?
What do you do when you stare into the face of something that is your poison and your panacea?
What do you do when all that separates you from everything is infinity?

The ghosts, my friends, lie not in our stars, but in ourselves.
A date.
A name.
A buzz.
A word.
Silence.

Faith does not only move mountains, it creates a few. Immovable. Insurmountable.

As Queen sings, "I've gotta be cool. Relax." Yet the title of the song sums it all up so appropriately. Beyond comprehension. So simply.

It does not help when you have an imagination that is such that nothing is beyond it. One that can conceive every impossibility. One that finds hope in despair, mirth in tragedy, motion in stillness, fluidity in awkwardness. One that can remember thousands of unnecessary details, and not remember to turn on the heater at sub-zero temperatures. And not feel the chill, except from within.

Just when everything was nice and simple, I had to go and see that!

Theres hope yet. Why not, if even the Pirates can hit a hot streak!

Pirate in Pittsburgh

Have named self after the Pittsburgh baseball team, which, as it turns out, is quite terrible! But they got me hooked to baseball nonetheless. After a match in PNC park against the Astros which the Pirates, as is their wont, lost. But somehow, I just love rooting for the underdog, and they dont come much more un derdog than the Pirates.

Spent an incredible 15 minutes in the walkway connecting Wean and Newell Simon Hall. It was raining tigers and lions out there. All I had was my cell camera, which was not nearly good enough to capture the moment. Sheets of rain blew past, acting as a sort of automatic wiper for the glass i was looking out through. It was 3:15 in the afternoon, which is about when the sun is at its worst. It was pitch dark outside, lighted only by street lamps, and the array of windows that the departments of CMU constitute. The most romantic moment in Pittsburgh so far, which is not saying very much for my social life :) But then it never does!

Had an interesting experience at Subway. I find the stuff too un-spicy. Hence, asked the guy to fix me a footlong that had extra extra hot peppers and hot mustard sauce. Chap stared round-eyed, then gave me one hot pepper with some hot mustard to taste. I said that it was good. He stared some more, then offered a deal: if I could eat a bowl of hot peppers with hot mustard sauce, he would give me the footlong free. That was how I had my free dinner that day :-)

Work's coming along nicely so far. It can be fun, something I never realized while in Kharagpur. Its great to be on your own, and responsible totally for yourself. Classes start in a couple of weeks, but before that is a continental breakfast. Actually, a few of them. I think I shall like this place!

I love my room. Its the awesomest. I think I shall sign off every post with this line!

Amreeka

"... such a weird place,
such a weird place, such a weird place...."

I don't know whether it's because of the expectations I had of this place, whether it's because I had heard so much about it that I expected it to outdo Helsinki by a few US miles, but the truth is that I am rather disappointed.

Not only does it not come close to matching what I saw of Europe through the microcosm that is Finland, it reminds me rather of India. In fact, if you leave out the fact that its cleaner, and that technology is more in use here, there is little or no difference. Of course, streets and buses aren't as crowded, but America doesn't have to deal with the population density of India. Nonetheless, I'll stick my neck out and make the following comments:

Attractiveness: India comes close! Very close! Surprisingly, Americans are far less conscious about their appearance than I expected. Maybe, its time we learned from the situation that is prevalent here, and ban MacD!!! Kolkata, you were much the wiser in not having embraced MacD as early as some of the other metros did. I don't like it anyway!

*Subway rocks though! A number of non-veg stuff costs less than the veggie patty!

Shopping: India is better! Easier to shop, more accessible locations, more of a buzz... India doesnt force us to own cars in order to be able to shop happily at the best rates, at the best places, so on and so forth! There's something mechanical about the place, something very cultivated which borders on the bizarre!

People: Same comment as above applies. Give rather the strong impression of being of a certain kind that is acceptable to society. When the veneer cracks, the contrast is all the more stark. You wouldn't want to be in this place if you were the straight talking, believing kind. The amount of fine print boggles the mind. Insurance agencies, for instance, are killers. If you haven't seen it, see Sicko and thank your lucky stars that you dont have to fend for yourself in these God-forsaken Bushes that make a jungle.

Fun: For all the above, a lot of this is to be had. There are great facilities and while the going is good, the rosy side is great. Buildings, mostly, are built very well, and one appreciates the finer details. Excellent transport systems make travelling very comfortable.

Weather: Its been bright and sunny, not too hot, and thankfully, not humid. Rains arrive immediately when it gets too hot

Now, then off the shopping list and onto updates. Life's good, I have shifted into my new apartment. Its been done up recently. Had nothing when I moved in, and I have spent hours shopping for stuff. Its slowly starting to seem like home, and I love the way my room is blooming. The first thing I bought was a bookcase, the second a broken chair that I am using as a nightstand, the third a bed, and the last so far- a sort of shelf unit. I love it. I love shopping. As a friend put it, the oestrogen streaks! I am inclined to agree :)

Will post pics when its done! Yo!