The city in which everything happens. Most of television, most of cinema, and all of the excitement. I wanted to see this city all my life. I had heard about it from so many people and almost felt its vibrance through so many other virtual experiences, I had to see it.

The sister went to see it while my school had just started, she came back with a non-stop rant about how she loved it and more so  about how I would love it.

So it was decided. My first break, coinciding with christmas had to be spent in NYC.

Stoic plans were made, the ticket purchased(the first ticket I bought without a help of a ticket executive) many of these firsts were to follow, but this was a great start up for my excitement.

Close family friends lived in manhattan and I was thrilled to be spending time with family, after so long.

So NYC, here I came.

I spent the first day walking the streets and thought of it as a warm up, little did I know I would want to walk on these streets everyday, well-entertained. I always, somehow found my way. It was a first timer for me, especially since I was so used to my  pathetic sense of direction. A part of my driving routine back home included  rolling down windows and asking cabs for directions.

In New York I never got lost, at times I even showed directions to some tourists. I was surprising myself everyday.

Now the roads were well-learnt. I had to soon learn to take on the Subway. The sister as talented as Columbus warned me it was difficult and not half as easy as the London tube that both of us had mastered over just two days.

So I was super scared, I tried memorizing the map but in vain. With extreme courage one day I decided to tide over geographic phobias and take on the Sub. So I did. Yes initially I stuck to only one line but after a while kept changing trains with super ease.

This was a dream come true couple that with bright Christmas lights all around and the humungous sales on my favorite brands. I was living the dream!

Dad had pulled a John Lennon and said you would be more excited to see NYC in Christmas than Jesus on Christmas.

I loved it. Walking the streets alone, discovering museums, spending hours in trial rooms, all of it.

Another thing about NYC’s vibrant character that I absolutely related with was the blaahness of New Yorkers.

People had loud and I mean loud conversations carelessly not bothering if someone judged them about it.

Yes there were girls dressed as super models but there was a lot of casualty too, and not just in dressing but in everything.

I might sound like a little child besotted with the big city lights , but guess what, I was!

Being back to the peaceful beach felt like going back into a spiritual trance after a life full of speed.

For now I am happy to be enjoying the season in the sun but will always cherish the first city I saw all by myself, and will wait for a second encounter with it:)

In our house, while growing up, if Dad was in a good mood he would recommend music. Somehow, this music was the exact kind I dint want to listen to,at least for a while. I would resist it to eventually become a hardcore follower.

Me and my sister, being fans of the Dad, were fans of his music. It was something we bonded, extremely strongly over. Dire straits, Cat Stevens, Cream, Tom Petty , The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, the list was long

The sister was never too impressed by this certain band called “The Who”. Dad gushed about their music all the time.  I happened to sneak his car out once and casually played one of his CDs. I went crazy, I sneaked the CD to my room to listen to the album over and over again. It was Quadrophenia! I found Dad’s old “LD”  of the same album in our attic. The album cover had the best art work I had seen (after Sgt. Peppers of course).

Roger Daltrey swimming in a pool of baked beans(yuck!). I dint eat baked beans for a year after that!

By the end of that week I was listening to all their albums. I was hooked. I mentioned nothing to Dad. I thought he’d mock at my late realization. Until one day I was unknowingly humming BabaO’Riley and he leaped form his chair. “Where did you hear that?!”

“In you car” I awkwardly replied. “Oh! So you have my Quadrophenia?”

“I will soon return it” I added hastily. “Take your time.” he said with a big smile.

Till date, I continue being hypnotized  by  the magic of The Who. They stutter about a generation that lived its youth long before I did, and yet each note, each word relates to me. Like they say, there aint no cure for the rock n roll blues!

At the cost of sounding cheeky i must pay homage to my dear dear pants.

My red linen pants have a super special place in my wardrobe. I own them since the past five years and have bought them at a cheap mall in London.

In these five years, they have been worn for all occasions I can imagine. For boring social do’s, for college trips, and  to even weekend getaways.

During a college festival we were closing a deal with a sponsor, I showed up really late, groggy, in my bright red linen pants. I was terrified i had screwed up only to realize no one noticed anything and we actually closed the deal!

I am heavily superstitious about some things and I believe these pants have gotten me out of a lot of trouble, on several occasions.

I feel weirdly confident in them i love the way they fall on my not so long legs, i love how i can throw on any t-shirt on that tattered pair….

Above all what makes them so special are all the memories attached to them…

It’s Almost Full Moon, as I sit beside the window with my laptop editing some random videos and soundtracks. I realize how unimportant it is to know these things but something tells me this hard work too shall pay off. So I work, very very hard. I am a struggler with these softwares. I know nothing I have started from scratch and even now just know that, the scratch!

Did I mention its Halloween? One of America’s favorite holidays. I watch as people run home from work and since it’s still very early in the  evening it’s time for the kid’s halloween. The kids screech trick or treat to me in the porsche, i say “trick”, bewildered they storm off.

My road leads to Lincoln, the coolio hub for tonight. I see the early birds flock there. Not everybody is dawning a costume. Some go as themselves. I am still clueless about my own costume or plans. Friends  are hurling rude texts at me for not having  a chalked out plan and being so unsure. I do not blame them. So I get off the big stool place my psycho-edit behind and go to fix a last minute costume.

Happy Halloween!

It’s been over a month. I am managing surprisingly well. My directions have improved immensely, though I think a lot of it has to do with Miami’s great griding system. Each avenue is named clearly along with street numbers on the side. Everybody is new to the place so they have clear instructions about everything, everywhere!

Weekends include shopping for groceries, paying bills, doing the laundry, meeting classmates for projects, planning healthy meals, socializing  and playing soccer.

Above all what takes up my time, are classes and assignments.

I work for five hours on an editing software to realize that is exactly what I am NOT supposed to do! It’s frustrating! . The little time that I am left with, is spent talking on the phone with family and friends.

So, when I talk to the grandfather and he lovingly asks if i miss everyone, I ask him, where is the time?

To which he laughs of course, but it’s surprisingly true.

Ok, i get it. I was living in an illusion. I thought Miami could never, never ever get cold. It was only till last night. Last night when one of the school friends came to pick me up for a school project at 12.00 am(we needed to shoot the night life) I froze outisde my gate. I couldn’t move! Thankfully had stashed a shawl in the bag, else i would have been blue!

How is one supposed to know? That same morning I went walking to the bank, took the bus to the post office and was sweating in the sun. Five hours and bam! The town had gotten refrigerated.

I thought me being from Mumbai couldn’t handle the cold but everyone on the streets is wrapped up in jackets and mufflers. It is amazing how fashion changes overnight and how fashion reacts to environment and needs. This is one of the major reasons why I have never thought of fashion as fickle or shallow. Out came the boots instead of he flip-flops. Extra layer of clothing just suddenly became visible.

Fall is here, I know it wont be as serious as it is in the rest of the country, but then again that is the only hope of living off these cold windy days…brrrrrrr….

Miami Ad School’s Soccer Sundays are big. Ron and Pippa(the founders) lay huge emphasis on them. I knew i had to be there, knowing the game or playing was a totally different story.

I was bang on time(very very rare!) And since i was on time, Ron immediately put me on to a team. We played full-field on that huge ground at Flamingo Park. If you take two rounds of this feild you’d be pooped, and this coming from a gym-regular!

I was running, Ron was right girls have a way of playing football, they keep muttering sorry, all throughout! its funny!

We were doing miserably, I was on Pippa’s team and even though she was yelling her lungs out with encouraging words, we knew we were b-a-d.

I felt a kick everytime the opposition made a goal. I felt a kick everytime i dint kick the ball hard enough.

When we were done( Ron would extend the time of the game every last five minutes!)..I

was out of breath, sweaty as hell,and drop-dead tired….

But then i wondered is it all about wining? i dint feel like a loser, i dint feel stupid, id rather make an effort and lose than win effortlessly…these words are such a cliche but made perfect sense today.

Now i know why sports are given such importance, they teach us values we’d never belive in, if taught otherwise.

Sports are a srict, tiring, but an  efficient teacher….

The cherry on my cake was winning a crate of beers for the game! I am not into beer at all but just the feeling of winning in spite of losing was extremely rewarding!

Ok, I  thought I would never be the one saying this but it is true! Mums know everything. They have Google-enabled-minds!

Being packed-off to be a student in an alien town meant taking along a “biraad” in mum’s words. And she wanted me to pack specific things in specific amounts.

Now, me being me, thinking I am wise/smart ass, refused most things Mama offered.

“Mom, I am not going to be living in a deserted land, Its Miami!” She was never convinced. She knew what I would need and where I would find it.

She knew that since the sister was along we’d need some extra homemade food. To which the sister took offence and exclaimed she wouldnt raid my food reserves.

We tried hard cornering Mom, to delete things off the list, but she was determined. She helped me pack my bags, firing zillion instructions I was not even listening to. Now, to think of it, I wished I had recorded or memorized them.

But at this point a very comforting thought comes to my mind. I can call her anytime for anything and I know she’ll repeat everything all over again! And this time I promise i’ll listen!

For a long time in life, I did NOT believe in dreams. I thought it was my job to dream and for get.

I dint even realize when I dreamt and my dreams came true! Amazing tenth standard results, dream come true?? naa, just a fluke! awesome dreamt-of vacation with the family, dream come true? naa it was ought to happen…I was and to some extent still am a cynic…

Things changed in late teenage, and a lot of it had to do with a movie. Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams. It is cheesy how films have changed my perspective but I believe good cinema should always have that power over you…

John Lennon made me imagine and then came a positivist of a best friend, she believed, she fell,bruised her knees,yet she believed…. great books happened…. life’s little instruction book was taken seriously and slowly here emerged a dreamer.

This  proud dreamer now, believes in the scary power of dreams:)

Ok, this is finally happening! After years of friends and the sister pestering me to blog, here i am!

The idea of this blog is to laugh at self, keep a track record of adventures of miami, and express!!!

Being a fan of writing my private journal i never felt the need to blog, but i want my friends and family to know so much, and i know that neither them nor  me would have the time to fill each one on the details.

so this is it:)

welcome to the mad world of me, i hope you love-hate it as much as i do:)