And So It Began…

I start today, owing a big thanks to my buddies Hardik and Ravi. If not for them, this surprise trip would not have been possible.

When my friend Sindhu asked innocently “What will you do if it rains ?”, I did not in my worst dreams imagine the weather to turn around so drastically from a pleasant full moon sky to a full on storm.

Hardik with his SENZ (Thanks to TEDxDelft) umbrella, me with my normal umbrella and Ravi with no umbrella took off from our cozy boxes at 2:15 AM. It was time for me to leave for Schipol to catch my flight heading home for my sister’s wedding a.k.a winter vacations ;)

Dragging two huge bags through the almost horizontal rain and stormy wind and heading towards the Delft train station proved to be much more than a walk in the park.

Both the guys having classes at 8:45 today, they still agreed to come help me out. Makes me glad I have such good friends :) Hope they went for it :P

I am sitting in the Paris Airport as I write this. It sure lacks the charms and glamour of Schipol. Did love the Schipol atmosphere in the early morning. Much less crowded and very well organized.

The scary part was that I kept falling asleep on the train and the airport. And as I boarded the plane for Paris, I dint even bother checking out the girl sitting next to me and fell asleep (Thanks to last 3 nights of sleepless nights to meet the assignment deadline :P). Got up to hear that the weather is very turbulent and will be served only sandwiches and cokes. Gulped both down and off to heavenly sleep again. Not before I peeked outside the window and mannn… It sure was worth it. The landscape created by the clouds and the rising sun adding all sorts of shades on the stormy clouds only strengthened my belief that God truly is an artist with skills beyond imagination.

Anyway, here I am, this is me, there’s nowhere else on earth I’d rather be .. Damn !! Listening to too much of Bryan Adams does get you side tracked :P Sorry bout that. Better keep this blog short.

On an ending note, I would like to address two points:

1.      1.The girl I was sitting next to had really pretty and happiness filled eyes ^_^. How can I not check her out ehh ? ;) :P

2.       2. The SENZ really is a storm umbrella. Do buy it if you intend on roaming around during a fully fledged storm.

A bientot, more to come soon with news on how my family got a surprise with my arrival (not talking about my first arrival 22 years ago ;) :P). Except dad no one knows so hushhhh :D

Have a great week :)

Love,

Ab9

No More Thousand Butterflies...

It was only a couple of months ago that I saw this beautiful spectacle. Something that so moved me that I did not even reach for my camera. There are few such moments when you know that it cannot be captured by a camera but only experienced.

This happened one evening when I was sitting in my spacebox and gazing out through my window. The gleaming golden light of the setting October sun fell beautifully on to the tree tops. The ever speedy Dutch winds were busy rustling the leaves. And for that moment, it felt like I had seen the true beauty of God’s creation as he always intended us to. The best metaphor that I can come up with which will do justice to my sight is a thousand butterflies shimmering, rustling and swaying .. I only wish I had the right words to describe them. But I guess there are no words to describe such sights. Just a silent appreciation from one’s heart for this experience of true peace and oneness with the creator. After that, I made a point to witness this sight almost every day.

But alas, as they say, all good things must come to an end. And so it did. Autumn came and slowly the butterflies flew away. And now as the December sun shines on those trees, only the barren twigs welcome them. Swaying slowly in this cold December wind.

And so I shall wait, for the time, when once again, a thousand butterflies shall greet my sight :)

The Curious Case Of Dreams

It has always been a mystery how the dreams we dream are connected to our lives or sometimes even related to us. But no matter what, it sure affects your day if you let them.

It was only today when I was dreaming about driving a nice big SUV and it was the only thing on my mind all day. Made me want to go back home and drive my 'Red Princess' :)

It was only after some time of day dreaming that I realized that I was driving the car on the right side of the road while back home, we drive on the left side. Netherlands sure did affect me pretty fast in this aspect :P

Some of my dreams are so action packed that it puts Hollywood action movies to shame. Sadly with increasing time after waking up, the memory of the dreams fade away. Well, but sure is fun to snooze a bit more and see how the end turns out ;)

It also happened to me once that I saw this old house with very intricate designs on the floor and after a few months, I went to this house in a village which had the exact same designs and it was the same house. Strange ? Well, people do claim that they have premonitions in their dreams.

So, keep dreaming but dont let the nightmares/bad dreams spoil your day :)

I hope you have a sweet dream tonight :)

And So Stops The Game Of Hide & Seek…

For almost a week, the little town of Delft seemed like the perfect location to shoot a haunted movie more likely the sequel to “The Mist” (No prizes for guessing but this one would have been called “The Fog” :P)

The tall and famous landmark (EEMCS), which you cannot miss even if you try to, had completely vanished. You could not see the 22 floor mega-structure standing 10 meters in front of it. Maybe the fog is the secret to the famous vanishing acts. Something to ponder on don’t you think ;)

Such mysterious weather and how can we forget our beautiful Library? So my friend and I head over only to find a soothing glow emanating from the cone of the Library. To give this glow a more mystifying angle, let me simply put them in my friend’s words - it is the result of students getting enlightened :P

And how can the "Foolosopher" not talk  philosophy in such unique weather conditions ? ;)

So here goes : In life, the path is never clear. There are many uncertainties and bumps. So do not worry nor be discouraged. Have faith and move forward and take them on as they appear.

Guess I better run after my friend now and tell him to walk on the walking path just to be on the safer side :P

It sure was a fun week trying to figure out places, faculties and especially people. With layers of clothing, jacket and cap, the fog definitely did not help ease our plight in recognizing people. It happened only yesterday when a guy waved to me and I had to squint and really go close to figure out who he was :D

The fog has finally cleared and faces and buildings are again visible and so resumes my wait for the first snowy day :)

A Lesson Rightly Learnt :D

Kids, when someone tells you to dress as per the Onion Layer Theory (Dress in layers), you better heed their advice. I obviously found that out the hard way.

This happened to me on the 10^th of November 2011 a.k.a yesterday. Making full use of the last few days of my vacation period (exam period for others :P), I wake up at 1 PM only to find the sun shining brightly which was definitely a big surprise after the previous day’s cold and gloomy weather(General opinion). If truth be told, coming from a South Indian coastal city where it rains for 6-8 months in a year, I loved the weather :D

My friends and I decide to hit the Thursday market and I start dressing up based on the Onion Layer Theory. But the weather being so bright and sunny, I decide to put the theory to rest and dress up in a normal T and a half sleeved jacket which I am so gonna regret. But let’s save it for later ;)

On the way, for the first time I see the big bridge, between TU Delft and Centrum, open up. Quite a nice start for my day I think. Little did I know what was in store for me :D

We reach the market area only to be greeted by 4-8 flower shops. Wow, quite a bummer. So we head over to the St. Joseph’s church and it turns out to be magnificent. The architecture, the design, the atmosphere, everything blends in so well. It sure is a sight to marvel at.

We come out to find the weather turning around pretty quick. The sun was setting and the temperature dropping along with a ghastly misty effect. In short, the Dementor effect (Credits to Harry potter Encyclopedia ;)). So we enter our regular Turkish shop to catch a bite and the hot Kapsalon in that cold weather felt so good. It sure hit the right spot :D

When we come out, it has gotten worse. It is freezing cold and windy. It was like rubbing salt to our wounds :( Worse was to hear this duck quack out loud. Sounded more like “You forgot to get your jacket.. Qua, qua qua qua qua (Donald Duck Style)”. It really did sound that way :D

Thanks to a lovely puncture, I had to walk back home now. By the time we reached home, the mist had gotten so thick that the EEMCS building was looking more like an illusion than a real building and I couldn’t even feel my nose :D

All the way I kept wondering if I had shivered at any point of time. As I had read somewhere, your body shivers (vibrates) to generate heat. If it stops shivering, it means that the body is starting to give up. I know .. Gives you the creeps :D

Anyway, reached my warm humble abode in one cold popsicle piece and stuck myself to the heater which I am sure is gonna be my best buddy during winter :D

A lesson rightly learnt and in time too. I am so going to respect the Onion Layer Theory from now onwards. The weather forecast for the coming few days is 5, 5, 3, 2, 2 with possibilities of snow next Friday.. Now that is something to look forward to ;)

Well, I sure hope you know by now that you should not underestimate the weather :D

More updates after my weekend visit to Amsterdam .. Till then, a very warm good luck to all for a very cold winter season and the coming academic quarter :)

Ab9's Day Out - TEDxDELFT

This being my first official blog, I wanted to start with something unique about my university TU Delft and the people. I kept pondering for days and wondered how I shall convey my thoughts in a way that people will read and understand. Well, today is your lucky day because I just found out how :)

      On this cold, damp lazy morning, I finally wake up at 10 am after a night long (till 4 am :P) of research. As customary, I log on to my Facebook page and I find a message from my next door neighbor (Yea that’s how we communicate :D). He wanted me to have his ticket for TEDxDELFT event since he had exam that day.. I realize that it had started at 8 in the morning and I was already late. And so I finally walk out of my lil cozy spacebox (totally impressed by the concept :D) and walk out in the cold and windy afternoon.


    I reach the Aula Auditorium to find it swarming with cheery people. That’s a bit odd for Monday mornings. But oh well, I go in and explain to the registration guys about my friend’s ticket and they happily comply without questions (Now that’s something really new to me. No doubts ? Well, wasn’t lying anyway). So I move on to the grand lunch area where I lay my hands on some yummy Soufflé and orange juice. By the time I reach the main course, my friend calls me out for some urgent work and I miss the grand lunch (Sniff.. Sniff.. :( ).

    I do come back in time for the start of the second half of the event and I sit down wondering what TEDx is all about. An old lady comes and sits next to me and she is so full of energy and enthusiasm. Clapping actively and conversing with me. I listen to the talks and the crowd and there is this mysterious aura floating around in the room. After several talks and videos, we had the coffee break and off I went and had a good hot cup of coffee with some really good cookies and muffins. I meet Riccardo whom I had once met during the campus games and he introduced me to a bunch of people and suddenly we were discussing the “talks” and relating them with our own observations and experiences and before I knew it, our talks had become philosophical :D And once again I could feel that mysterious aura in the room only this time, it was starting to surround me too.

    Then something happened that kind of reminded me of my childhood. We were offered lollypops. Some might find this normal and some ridiculous. But this lollypop made my day :D

 

    And so I return to the auditorium all beaming and having conversations with people I don’t know and learning something new every minute. As the show began and the other speakers came on the stage and gave their talks, I finally figured out the cause for this mysterious aura. I noticed that every speaker, no matter what topic they spoke on, brought something unique to the table. They all successfully connected with the crowd and inspired them to do something with their lives. This mutual feeling resonated throughout the crowd and what we had was a group of people who are inspired like never before and brimming with ideas to do something. We had all in a way become connected to one another and become a part of something big and beautiful. 

   

Each one of us today, is taking back with them a unique experience maybe in the form of interaction with people or friendship or knowledge or maybe something else or maybe a combination of these. But one thing is for sure. We all came out as better and more confident individuals with a dream to excel in our respective fields.

    As the day came to an end we moved on to the evening drinks and talks. After a while, as I was about to leave, I come across this odd looking platter of chopped cubes with a black sauce. As a foodie, and imagining it to be cheese, I dig in. Only to realize that it was raw fish (Sushi!!). Even as I write this now, I can relive that moment, trying to get it down my throat as soon as possible. But as they say, you gotta try them at least once and I am glad that Sushi is off that list :D

    On an ending note, I would like to thank the TEDxDelft team and all the organizers and volunteers who made this event possible and in turn ensured its big success. You could see the pain and effort taken to piece this day together and I can only say, kudos to all of you :)

     I would also like to thank the team for their generous Oprah like gesture by giving each participant the lovely SENZ umbrella (Woohoooooooooooo!! :D)

    Last but not the least, I would like to thank my sweet neighbour ‘Hardik Pandya’ who made it possible for me to witness this great day in my life and also for being the reason why people I met kept staring at my name badge (bearing his name) with a puzzled face, trying to figure out why the name I told them sounds so different from the one they read :D

    Anyway, the next time you get a chance to go to events like TEDx, do not hesitate and experience for once how it feels to be a part of something big and unique.

That’s all for now folks. Do take care and we shall next interact when our paths cross once again :)

Until then, it’s nap time for the Foolosopher ;)

Getting In Touch With The Dutch

The theme of the orientation programme for the International students was “The Process of Acculturation to the Dutch Culture”. Each international student was assigned to a team and the team had to come up with an idea that will help this cause. Totally lost on the concept I met my team members who were from five different places in the world.

Our captain Hugo was from Mexico, Kristian from Germany, Narita from Indonesia, Qiyi from China and me myself from India.

We sat down and discussed what we thought the topic meant. After a heavy session of brainstorming, we came up with a plan. This plan itself was going to conflict with the way of life of the Dutch.

Our plan was to approach a typical Dutch family and better get to know the Dutch culture by cooking a traditional Dutch cuisine under their guidance. But as the Dutch tradition goes, home is a very private place for a family and inviting strangers over and allowing them to use the kitchen was way over the line. But still we decided to take the risk and approached a Dutch lady named Ineke de Bruin.

Her surprised expression did not help our cause and we expected a straight “NO”. But she gave it a thought and told us that she needs to ask her husband first and if it is okay with him, we are welcome.

As luck would have it, those moments of anxiety paid off and we got a positive reply and off we went to gather the ingredients. Heeding our coach’s advice, we bought bottles of wine as presents for our host.

We headed off on our bikes from the TU Delft campus with our host. We reached her home and after the initial round of beverages, she gave us a tour of her garden where most of her vegetables and fruits grew.

Under her guidance, we cleaned and chopped the vegetables and prepared the dish. She also taught us many Dutch concepts and gave us tips on how to set a table. It was a very productive evening and it was literally getting in touch with the Dutch…