The Free Bird ushers in 'The Three Musketeers'

Long time no post huh? So much action happening all around and so little time to blog! I hope this little entry will reverse the trend forever.

One of my recent "short term goals" was to set up a small aquarium at my company accommodation. I don't know what prompted this ... maybe the aquarium shop that I saw while traveling by bus the other day at Kurla must have triggered the absolutely stupendous idea!

When an idea is formed, you should implement it immediately, especially if you are a 'first-gear-person' like me, who loses interest in things as they get routine and predictable. Wasting no time, I found out a few aquariums at Borivali through the amazing device called internet. Bought a bowl for 250, a kg of white stones for 50 and three goldies for 60, even though my finances had hit the rock bottom and I vowed not to spend anything for the month. (Some things are special though!)

The Red Orunda Goldfish, The Black Moor and The Red Cap Orunda - The three musketeers thus became roommates with the Free Bird. A pictorial overview must be immensely helpful:

That's the fish bowl beside my PC



The three musketeers as seen from the top



The side view of the three musketeers

I have been growing pet fishes for more than 10 years and I relish it as much as I savor Astronomy. The gentle movements of these gracious beings provides you an invaluable escape into a delectable new world, where you literally become a Free Bird flying around in blissful ignorance of all the happenings around you - An ultimate stress buster I must say. Everyone should try to maintain one!

Savouring the last Souring vacation (From Dreams, Thoughts, Experiences)

I have had nothing to do except chill out for the past few days! Isn't that testimony enough for the fact I am on a vacation? The hectic days of final year at college are over. The days where I slog and sweat at work are yet to come. Doesn't that allude to the fact that this is the last vacation for a long long time? That remaining so, recall the fact that familiarity breeds contempt and that even elixir in excess is real bad!

What is the ideal length of a vacation that one can enjoy to the fullest? For some guys at college, this last vacation was as short as 15 days. If you are planning on chilling out for a few days after those demanding last days at college, enjoying your mother's food and the delightful comforts of your cozy home, hanging out with friends - killing time, cracking jokes, window shopping and what not? You even have ample time to go on a pilgrimage(??) or an all-India tour!

Not before long, you finally realize that your vacation has come to an end and you are engaged in a frantic shopping spree to buy all those necessities, visiting relatives and seeking out their blessings before finally embarking on the 'epic' journey to work, visiting temples and praying for good luck ... thousands of things to do in a very short time!

One of my friends was gifted so short a vacation that he got to enjoy only the second busy half of the it, so much so that some of us (a group of 4) got an appointment to meet him only after deliberations stretching over two days! Most other guys got a decent vacation of a month and a half and have took off to work. What about me? This is day 70 of the 3 month long vacation. Yep, three months! I have done all those things that I have mentioned people do in their vacation, yet this one doesn't seem to end! I feel like a thirsty wanderer searching for an water in the middle of a desert, getting fooled every now and then by a mirage. All I yearn for is something interesting to keep me occupied!

It seems I have exhausted all the options. Lets see ... The first few days were spent in planning and executing a very enchanting foray into Wayanad, an ideal ecotourism destination nestled among the mighty western ghats that runs along the west coast of peninusular India. The purple patch threatened to end with this, but I deftly extended it to a few more days by going on a tour to friends' houses all along the length and breadth of God's own country. By this time my brother had arrived on his somewhat-long vacation. With two computers at home and lots of games waiting to be played, it turned out to be an extension of those idle college days where I used to play computer games day in and day out! A host of other interesting activities went on other than this and I was really enjoying.

That's when we (me, brother and parents) embarked on a North India tour extending from the borders of Pakistan at Wagah(Amritsar) to the thronging devotees on the holy banks of the sacred Ganges at Rishikesh and Haridwar, from sylvan Mussoorie and the peaceful Doon valley to the busting National capital ... We missed out on the last leg though, involving the pink city and the world wonder, due to a minor mishap in Delhi. The dream run ended shortly and it was up to me and my brother to make amends.

I really felt the pinch when my brother's long vacation came to a screeching halt a few days down the line. I was forced to turn my attention to hobbies that I had put in the cellar for the past four years ... reading, blogging, surfing and the like. Each passing hour seems like a day. I have even started attending those receptions and marriages of people whom I didn't know but people who knew me, a thing I have always abstained from all my life! With each passing minute this vacation which I thought I would savour is getting more and more sour. It is turning out to be a really long, Souring last vacation!