A wandering mind on a lazy Sunday.

Its the last lazy day here. Tomorrow is my first day at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts(LIPA). In the silence that almost always accompanies solitude, I can hear suitcases being rolled, doors being opened and closed, vacant houses being occupied.

Students are moving in, all around me.

It's been a nice day so far. I woke up at noon, and came online. Spoke to my darling on the phone, through the computer...for free!! Brilliant. Less money spent on phone calls to India means I'll go hungry on less days.

I felt so happy talking to him. They're usually the best 45 minutes of the day.

Now its back to solitude. And reflection.

Was thinking again, about why I never had a blog all these years, and why I have one now. Got reminded of my very first post here, the one previous to this, my conversation on google talk, with Robin. And more recently, with Ganesh.

Blogs are judged in a way that journal entries are not. Journal entries are stupid scribblings sometimes, and they're usually written as and when you feel what you feel. So it's fresh, raw and spontaneous. In a blog however, I suppose the virtual world weighs you, judges your spontaneous emotion...and why not? You're writing, not for yourself, but for it.

My mind drifts. I look around and think to myself, that it's quite something to live on your own. Everything is the way I want it, and its all where I left it. Even the mess. I know where to look when I'm looking for something.

I cooked a meal for a few friends a couple of days ago. Rice, potato sabzee and an Indian dish called Chicken in fried onion sauce. I also put some stuffed red chilli pickle on the table. It was a feast for me. But for their tastebuds, poor things, it was quite a shock. I'm assuming they liked the food though, because they're coming for another meal tonight.

I showed them Rang de Basanti. And for the first time, I watched it from the perspective of a foreigner. They simply adored it. Not being able to discern flaw from brilliance, but they were in love with it. Even days later, they were talking about it and saying "What does that guy sing after his friend falls into the water? Was it...'Tim Luck Luck'?" Hehehe.

But seeing Rang De Basanti through their eyes strengthened my resolve that it isn't as bad a film as I'm constantly being told it is. Yes, it's not flawless, and it goes completely overboard towards the end. But it has a few disguised lessons, and some subtle messages that it gets across on Indian secularism, multiculturalism, Indian fundamentalism, the present Indian youth(good and bad) and even love. Was reminded of quite a heated conversation Ganesh, Prashanth and I had at his Prashanth's place on another lazy afternoon like this one.

A few days earlier, my flatmates and I watched Kamasutra. Han is a die hard fan on Navin Andrews, the guy from 'Lost' I'm told. So she was just dying to see him naked!! Interesting film. But I can see it was made for a foreign audience. And Rekha, beautiful though she is, didn't act well at all. Watching her was a bit dull.

Both films led to healthy informative discussions about my culture and theirs. They learnt a lot about Indian customs, social traditions, the youth, the transformation from tradition to modernity, and the difference between mordernity and westernisation. While I learnt about Norweigian culture and English food(whatever that is!) ! :)

The last two days, Emma and Hannah have been at home. I mean, their homes. Not here. I actually miss them. It's strange, how quickly you get attached to people when you're living with them.

But ahem, sine qua non...worry not, for I miss you more!!! :) Oh, that's a dangerous path to tread at the moment. Am missing home a lot today. Not in a sad depressing way, but I miss it.

I briefly spoke to Vanya, my little mad sister. She is one person I would simply die without! She's not just my younger sister, she's always also been my best friend. Not the kind of best friend who somtimes slips out of the inner circle and disappears for a while, even if it might be the time when you need them the most! She's been with me, through everything, all my life. No one else has had that misfortune! :)

I miss my mum. She is, as usual, stacking up one odd errand after the other in order to 'fill the vaccuum' my absence has apparently created. My dad is in London, with my uncle. I spoke to him a little while ago.

I'm suddenly reminded of everyone back home. The doggies, Tata, Sunita didi, Kesar Singh, Mohan(who stayed extra late the night of my departure so he could hug me goodbye!), Hari, Nishi, Sammy, Anupam, all you other crazy adorable bangaloreans!..the people here are no match!! I keep looking for qualities of you all in them!

Speaking of my friends here..I've made lots. Big relief, considering that on first meetings, I usually sit as though I have an invisible gag on my mouth. But they're lovely. I've met so many people from so many different parts of the world - Norway, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Zimbabwe, England, Scotland, Ireland, Lithuania, America, Sweden..Its such a mix of cultures..It's wonderful.

Yesterday some of us went to a park with lots of beer and two guitars. We just sat on the grass, and sang songs, made instruments out of logs of wood, sticks, beer cans and beer bottles. We talked about music, about magic mushrooms, about Steve Owen and his dramatic death.

The last two nights have been madness at the LIPA bar!