Trip to Chickmagalur

Its been a while since people had been telling me this --> "I think you need a break. If you keep going on like this, you might end up in a mental asylum."(They just dont know whats my true background...*pagal smile*) They were referring to nothing but my work. Its been a little over 6 months since I got into this new project. Lots of challenges, lots of responsibilities and what more, helluva lotta work. Result: You have a man who walks java, talks java, speaks java and what more breathes java. The social circle started to shrink and everyone who met me and who saw me crib about work told me to pack my bags and just leave.

And woooohoooo... Leave I did for a weekend getaway. After some basic research and singling out on places to visit, I decided that we should have an adventurous trip. Something like a hill station cum jungle place cum a place to relax and so on. And found one in Chickmagalur. For those of you who dont know where Chickmagalur is or for all the brainless who think chick magalur is a place where there are lots of chicks, let me tell you that its the heart of coffee cultivation of India. And also its a district in Karnataka. Now then..off we went to a resort in the middle of the plantations.

The journey started off on a predictable note with me being elected unanimously as the trip driver although for a fact lemme tell you that I never contested. :( So I had to do all the driving. 6 hours of Indian road can takes its toll on anyone I say. But surprisingly the drive was good for once the roads were awesome and our music had some punch. It was such a huge relief to see some greenary and breathe some fresh air. I already started feeling my shoulders get unstiffed.

And finally, after 6 hours of fantabulous driving by yours truly, we reached Muthodi checkpost where we had to park our vehicle and get picked up by the Resorts vehicle.

Resort: First Impression: We landed in the Resort and the first thing was a nice long swimming pool. Sadly though it was infested by some weird looking creatures which in most part of the world would be referred to as humans. Ok. Lets do this. Imagine a Bowling Pin. Now imagine a human size bowling pin. Now imagine the human size bowling pin having hands and legs. Now thats exactly how these few creatures in the swimming pool looked. In their early 50s, god knows what these people were doing in that Resort. Spoilt my whole mood. But yeah... Had a nice physics lesson --> The quality and quantity of water in a swimming pool is inversely proportional to the creature infesting it and its size respectively.

Phew...Some start to the trip eh?? Tell me about it. So then, we decided that we aint jumping into the pool that day although it was so hot. We dint want to risk our lives. The food was decent but the place was a touch too hot for a hill station.

The evening was pretty cool and we had a long walk around the whole coffee plantation and trust me... it was wonderful. I mean wherever you see, its just greenary and more greenary. The sunset was the clincher for the day and we ended up narrating impromptu horror stories during the pool side dinner. I still kept looking at the pool wondering if they had cleaned it and will I be able to jump in the next day. (Ok... I was desparate to swim in the swimming pool.. :D)

The next day we had plans of trekking up the hill. The 3 km trek early in the morning had the fit me up and going while the lousy nincompoops with tonnes of belly fat around were huffing and puffing all the way up. Sigh!! And finally we were at the top of the hill. What an awesome view I say!! I could literally see the horizon and boy... For a second I was like 'Wow... Is this what you call heavenly??' I was amidst clouds and the sun had just risen and the sky... Inexplicable. Worth the effort so early in the morning.

Then we got down and I was all excited that finally I am going to jump into the pool and lo. Murphy shined his blessings on me.

Introducing the Butt family: When we got back from the trek, we got to see another horrific tragedy happening. Again in the pool. A family of 2 couples+ 2 kids. I have nothing against them jumping in the pool but come on... Dont you have swimming costumes. You just dont jump in with your travel clothes on. Yuck!! Was indeed disgusting. So our plans of jumping into the pool again was squashed. One of us even suggested that we jump in and put them out but what the heck. We ditched the plan and went for a safari. Oh wait... I dint tell you why I called this family as the butt family na.. hehe.. Its gross but still. Both the couples were so fat that their err...butt was sticking out. :P:P

Flora and flora: The safari was supposed to be a wildlife safari and we expected to see a lotta animals. But all we managed to see was a dog which apparently is that of a villager, two deers and one rabbit. Thats it!! That is all!! 1000 bucks gone in thin air. :(

The evening was cool with a nice round of fishing. I know the activity sounds boring for even I used to say the same thing before I tried. It was good. I mean, it takes some skill to fish fish. :D I managed to catch 9 kutti kutti fishes, the max by any one of us!! But poor fishes... the metal hook would have surely hurt them. :(

And then there were quite a lotta this and that that happened in the trip which are definitely not all that mentionable as its been more than a week and I dont remember half the things. And more so, I feel this blog has anyways gotten really boring and there is no point in continuing it any further. All in all, I had a great last weekend, a nice break from work and the whole mundane life and I feel a lot more rejuvenated. :)

So long...

Mother's day especial post - Amma!!

Its been 24 years since I started treading this planet(well..not literally...lest you think I am this super human creature who could walk the next moment I was born) and there is not a thing in the world I cant live without, except of course, my dear mom. I mean, the very thought that I had make my own coffee coz my mom wont be around for a few days back, gave me the creeps. Well, not because I make that bad a coffee, but because I simply cant imagine a day when I wake up and my mom is not ready with her simple filter coffee that is the world's best coffee. Well then, thats just for starters. Today is mother's day and I want to dedicate this blog to my mom and throw some light on this best friend of mine.

Some old memories:
The earliest memory of my mom is when I used to complain that my head is splitting coz of the construction work above my place and how she used to hug me tight so that I dont hear the sound. Little did she know that I was gasping for breath also. :)
But then that safety feeling made me sleep sound.
And then I remember those lunch times in school where she got me hot food coz I cant eat food if it gets cold.(psss... I like it only hot...even today) . I used to hate taking bath and used to run around the whole house(absolutely naked...) and she used to run behind me to catch me.

The way she used to teach how one should walk only on the pavements and never on road. I used to ask her why and her reason used to be, the thar on the road gets heated due to sun and becomes sticky. If it sticks to the shoe, the shoe gets spoilt. Probably she dint want to tell me about the vehicles for I would dare and try.

I dont remember any part of my childhood without my mom being in the frame. Dad...naah. He used to be this person who used to buy me toys everytime he went to bangalore. I thought that was his only job till I was about 6 years old. hehe... But it used to be mom all the while.

I remember how she used to pinch me in my tigh when I refuse to swallow food. (That is the only area in the human body where you can get hurt without the slightest injury) All that was then.

Momly ways:
There are some things only my mom can pull off. For example, that typical emotional card. Whenever during college I used to go out with friends, I remember my mom saying,"Yen pulla tappa dhanda yellam panna maataanu nambikka vechurikken"(I believe that my son wont get into bad things). After hearing this, which son would go astray tell me. I used to love the way she innocently says such stuff.

When it comes to cooking, she has this unique way of convicing us that what she cooks is almost always what we wanted to eat. For example, she would have told me in the morning that its gonna be potato roast for lunch. When I come home expecting potato curry, she serves me cabbage. When I ask her, she simply says, "Come on...you only say,'Potato has a lot of calories and cabbage is fibre and things like that'... so thought, why cook something unhealthy". How cool is that.

A thing she never ever compromises on is her daily dose of Saas-bahu drama, the Arasis, the Kolamgals and the Selvis. Years and years of same crap and she still doesnt get tired. Her line of argument is simple. When you guys can watch the same game of cricket which has unchanged over the years, why do you compalain about mega-serials. So then, we also keep her company, while commenting on its mediocrity all through the while. A nice battle I would say.
These are just to name a few.

The Routine:
Its amazing how her routine has been unchanged for the past so many years. I mean, when I was in school, my dad used to go to work and her day used to start with preparing coffee for everyone at home, then preparing breakfast - simultaneously getting me ready for school, serving breakfast for all, dropping me all the way to school, coming back home to cook the lunch and then the washing of clothes and then a little this and that and again, I come back home from school in the evening and the chores went on and on. What starts at 5:00 AM in the morning used to end at 11:00 PM in the night. And not one day have I seen her complain. Its as though she is addicted to this routine that even today she keeps doing one thing or the other and never keeps quiet. Her amazing amount of energy to keep herself going like this astounds me.

A little this and that:
Some things that I always admire about my mom is:

1. How she constantly manages to cook awesome food and make superlative coffee. (Coffee Days and Baristas, I dont think you can mock this... ever)

2. How she even to-date thinks that I would get scared if she scolds me(I do actually.. :))

3. How she had complete faith in me that I would do well, even after my pathetic showing in Entrance exams.

4. How she comes to me with those little things that she needs to get done and offers me a deal everytime.

5. How she keeps singing all the time all alone without knowing the fact that she is being noticed.

6. How she takes a neutral stand when me and my brother fight and then gives a biased decision based on some baseless information... :P:P

7. How she manages the home so well and never lets things go out of control.

8. How she still believes in giving me pocket money, even though I have been working.

9. How she gets angry with me over little nothings and still calls me for dinner and serves me dinner ever so affectionately.

This..that and a whole lot more. The list is endless and I can go on.

I think no person in this whole wide world would not love their mom. I mean, probably different levels of affection but the affection is certainly going to be there. Having never gone out for a long time, I havent yet got an oppurtunity to miss her badly. That day isnt far off and I hope I fare well. And I really dont know how I am gonna cope with it though. She has been there for me all through and I am sure she'll be there for me all my life. Come on, she has to and she will.

A note to mom:
Thank you mom for giving me this life and also for bringing me up to what I am today and showing all the love and affection you can. I am indebted to you for that and I love you. And yeah...Once in a while, you can cook garlic. I like it and you dont doesnt mean you should say it smells bad and so you dont want to :)

Well then... atleast the mom's day got me blogging again out here. As someone says, 'My blog seems rather mal-nourished'. Shall try and give it some nourishment, once in a while. :)

Ooops... somebody tells me that 11th May is Mother's day and I got the date wrong. Come on, everyday you or me lives is coz of her. There aint a need to have a day for us to thank her.