My BLOGCHALK
This is my blogchalk:
India, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Bandra, English, Hindi, Amrita, Female, 16-20, web designing, swimming.
posted by elusion @ 8/29/2002 05:43:00 AM,
,
Ok..this blog is dedicated to Sameer who reminded me that I hadn't blogged in a while. Just keep forgetting..have so many things to do!
Firstly
I just registered my own domain name!!!!!!!!!!!! its MysticGal.com Well i was confused initially between mysticgal.com and mysticgal.net so just went in for a vote and .com got more votes so I registered .com. I wanted my first domain name to have a .com as the Internet is all about a big dot com craze but .net sounded much better. I'm currently working on a new layout for MysticGal and it should be up by next week whereas I'll get my domain in a few days.
The Proud 2B Indian Clique is going to have a new URL which is http://india.mysticgal.com. Oooh...I'm soooooo excited about the new domain...wow!!!!! But engineering college is going to start on Monday so I won't be able to give much time to the sites but it's Ok..as I've already finished the main pic for the new layout and since membership has gone dead at the Indian clique I don't have much work these days. Hey, all you Indians and even firangis(Foreigners) reading this PLZ let your Indian mates know about the clique....It's my darling and I don't like to see it lying low.
Secondly
I have my driving test tommorrow. That is on Wednesday. I ain't scared as it's really easy to get a license in India. Last time(when I was 16 and got a fake age certificate saying that I was 18) the test was only 15 secs long. Just got into 3rd gear and the test guy said "haan, License Mil gaya"(Yeah, You got the license). Well now I'm not scared of the traffic anymore and hopefully I should get to driving myself soon. I wish Sindhu and Jaina who have to give theory tests and practical tests etc good luck for their driving tests..I wonder how I'd manage if I had to give them..bet I would have just got freaked out and flunked. I took a double turn on Monday and drove for an hour on Mumbai's crowded main roads (specifically Linking Road and SV road) and I managed allright. The driver just helped me out once when I thought the signal was yet on otherwise it was good!
Thirdly
I hate Enetaion(the comments service) and Tag-Board.com. Both of them S*** big time!!!!! Tag-Board hasn't given me trouble since the last incident sometime back where the clique tag-board wasn't even recognised so I had to re-install it and the Margarita one lost a lot of nice tags. But Enetation has been down for the past few days and it's sooooo frustrating. It shouldn't be considering that hardly anyone visits my site and even less visit the boring blog. But now I'm going to buy my own webspace and learn PHP and use the tutorials available on the web to make my own tag-board and comments service. till then I'll just have to bear with them...
I watched this movie Zoolander starring Ben Stiller at a friends place on Saturday after a birthday lunch at Ramada Inn Palm Grove Hotel. Hey Kimmy HAPPY BIRTHDAY ONCE AGAIN. and same goes for Sindhu!!!!!! It was really really dumb with slapstick comedy but nonetheless hilarious! Other than that my lifes been pretty mundane..I've had SIX MONTHS of holidays so far!!!!!! ad I sure am bored by now though all the site and graphic work sorta keeps me busy(a bit atleast..lol)
Thats it for now,
Amrita signing off...ciao!
posted by elusion @ 8/27/2002 01:27:00 PM,
,
I Know I haven't blogged in a long time. But of the little computer time I get I always always forget to blog. Lots has been happening in my life recently. My house had become into a sort of cow shelter last week. On Wednesday a cow came onto my verandah to protect itself from the rain and we had a hard time shooing it of. On Thursday a cow gave birth to a calf in my garden. No, we don't keep cows..it's just that our gate is usually open and I have a pretty large garden for Mumbai standards that the cow just came in to give birth to her calf. I missed the calf birth but I saw the proceedings from the time the calf was yet covered with blood. The tiny calf started walking within half an hour of birth..I saw the blood and I don't know what else filled bag burst and the calf having it's mother's milk. it was so frail and weak before having the milk but after having it the calf was full of energy and was running all around. Luckily some servants in the neighbouring building owned cows in their villages so they told us what to do and what to feed. Finally after taking care of the cow and it's child for a couple of hours the owner came and took them away. it was sad to let them go but then it was a different experience. it's supposed to be very auspicious if a cow gives birth to a calf in your premises according to hindu Mythology and tradition. Then on Friday two cows came onto our verandah to protect themselves from the rain. And all these have been different cows. Luckily there weren't anymore after that!
I've put up my own clique known as the "Proud 2B Indian" clique viewable at http://www.freewebs.com/proudindian. It's a nice idea I feel but I don't know if I'll be able to manage it once college starts. Atleast lets see for the time being how it goes. it's just been 3 days since the clique's up and I've already got 22 members from all over the world! Check it out yourself and join it if you're Indian!
Ciao for now..I might get back to writing about the Canadian bit of my holiday but I don't know when !
Love and Luck
posted by elusion @ 8/14/2002 01:13:00 PM,
,
Day 10 - 24th June, 2002
Last day in London. Left by ten and reached Heathrow in sometime. Met my mom who was coming from Mumbai in Terminal 3 and went to Terminal 4. Checked into our British Airways flight to Toronto and browsed through the duty free. Flight was good..ddn't sleep much because the entertainment offered was too good to miss...saw Bend it like Beckham, Ocean's Eleven, I am Sam and some other stuff. Time flew away so quickly and we landed soon in Toronto. Jayshree aunty and her brother came to pick us up and we went to her house. Her house is really really pretty...they've got about 14 acres of land on which shes built this lovely house and you have a pond nearby to go swimming and boating. Had a simple dinner and went off to sleep.
posted by elusion @ 8/08/2002 11:43:00 PM,
,
Day 9 - 23rd June, 2002
Went again to the Ilford mall and there was this bloke out there who didn't know how to fill out the VAT Refund form which made me lose quite a bit of money later. We had this massive barbecue and went swimming.
posted by elusion @ 8/08/2002 11:42:00 PM,
,
Day 8 - 22nd June, 2002
Went shopping at the Ilford mall and bought some stuff. Some people came over so we just ended up swimming and going out for dinner.
posted by elusion @ 8/08/2002 11:41:00 PM,
,
Day 7 - 21st June, 2002
Today England lost to Brazil in the FIFA World Cup. Took a bus again into the city. Got off at the Last stop which was London Bridge and took a tube from London Bridge Station to Picadilly. I intended to go for changing of the guards ceremony but I thought I had to get off at Picadilly station for it but ahd to actually get off at Charing Cross Station. So instead of going back I roamed around Regent Street which is another shopping area and went into the great Hamley's which is the best toystore in the world! Went into some other shops as well...ended up at Oxford Street and took a bus to Trafalgar Square. There was a major ruckus out there due to patriotic Britishers who were upset by Englands defeat in the World Cup. People were inside the fountains, there were broken bottles all over etc. I knew the way from there to the changing of the Guards grounds as I've always happended to miss it. The ceremony was over but there were a few guards on horses. They have this special feature to look straight and whatever you do they have to be serious. I walked on ahead and reached some park and some royal looking buildings. Then there was this tower or something and I walked on ahead and reached Picadilly Street which is adjoining Regent Street. Took a tube from there to Leicester Square which is the centre of night life in London. I've seen it before in the night and it is so vibrant then. But now during the day as well it was pretty crowded with tourists. Roamed around and came across a street filled with Chinese Restaurants..kinda like a miniature Chinatown. Lunched there and went to Trocodero which has a variety of games and stuff...tried out the Ride out there..which was OK. Went on to Camden Town which is a hippie area. You can see people only with piercings and punk hairstyles and hair colours. Had to buy some barbells for my brothers eyebrow piercing and bought six of them which costed me a bomb! Went to High Street Kensington then and met Rish who had to buy some gifts for his friends 21st Birthday. I'm never going shopping with him ever! Although it wasn't all that bad...we finally ended up buying a scented and designer candle, a teddy bear, card and wrapping paper after which I went back to Redbridge.
posted by elusion @ 8/07/2002 11:52:00 PM,
,
Day 6 - 20th June, 2002
Woke up Rish by my phonecall(I'm yet sorry about that Rish..Sorry!) and decided to meet up. Met at Huxley Building and went for coffee to Starbucks. After that I lunched with Saurabh in Canary Wharf and then went back to Redbridge to see a cricket match in which Krishan was participating followed by swimming.
posted by elusion @ 8/07/2002 11:51:00 PM,
,
Day 5 - 19th June, 2002
Went for a courtesy visit to the factory. After which Sunny dropped me off at a newsagents opposite his workplace. I bought a daypass from the newsagents and took a bus into the city. That was a really lovely experience and would recommend it to anyone visiting London. While travelling by the tube you miss out on the quaint sights of the city but you can see it all in the bus ride. Got stuck in a traffic jam at the over crowded Oxford Street so I got off there(instead of going to the last stop) and took a tube to Bayswater. Lunched at this cafe on the sidewalk and then kept on walking. Reached Queensway and roamed around a bit..took a bus to Notting Hill(Yes, it's the same Notting Hill of the movie of the same name) didn't know where the blue travel book shop was which Hugh Grant owned in the movie so just roamed about on the main street a bit and then walked up to god knows where and took a tube to Knightsbridge which houses the famous Harrods. The moment you enter Harrods you are overawed by the grandeur, opulence and the poshness of the place. You'll find everything you need but at a very high price. I spent more than a hour admiring all the designer labels and classy stuff it housed. I got out and started walking...I passed Hyde Park and the South Kensington area in search of a tube station. I finally decided to take a bus as it would pass a tube station at some point of time. After a while on the bus it yet hadn't passed a station so I decided to get off. When I asked a lady which bus to take for the closest tube station she told me it was the same bus I had just got off from!!!!!! I waited for another one to come and went back home. I didn't plan to visit Madame Tussads, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Hyde Park, Trafalgar Square and the other common touristy places as I've already seen them in my previous visits. It's better going to the common places as that's what any city actually is. And walking about is the best way...you get to see the lovely buildings and houses, the parks, restaurants, the Londoners(i don't know whether to call them friendly or not).
posted by elusion @ 8/06/2002 05:25:00 AM,
,
Day 4 - 18th June, 2002
Today was my big day. I had an appointment today with the Computing Admissions Tutor at Imperial College. I didn't want to go out anywhere before that so that I could keep my calm and not become nervous. Although Meenaben was reluctant to leave me in the house alone I finally convinced her. I left by half past two and reached South Ken by half three. I yet had an hour to kill. I called up Saurabh to find out if he had been able to get in touch with someone I had needed info from but he hadn't. I killed some time somehow with buterflies beginning to fly in my stomach and then started walking in some random direction and ended up at Green Park which happended to be just two blocks away from Huxley Building(that's where I had my appointment). The blocks between them had these pretty buildings which were either art galleries, residence apartments or hotels. After a while in Green park I went back to Huxley building.
The appointment went well...atleast that's what I think. But Mr.Jacobson couldn't do much as he had to follow the strict policies set down by the University of London although he seemed impressed with my marks and keeness to study at Imperial. The only way out would be to do my A-Levels and join next year. I don't think I would have been able to study for three A-Level subjects in a year(when you normally take two years) and manage to get three A Grades. Maybe I would have been able to do it if I had started the moment my board exams got over in March..I might have been able to do it when I came home in July as well but I didn't have the confidence that I would have been able to do it. I wasn't upset with what the admissions tutor had told me as I had expected that and hadn't expected any miracle to happen. But I realised that I did feel bad as I felt it in my voice while speaking to some people on the phone about it in the next few days. But that's what life is...you can't get everything that you want. Like a very learned person from Lucknow once asked me "How do you define the word Struggle?" I gave many lengthy explanations but he gave a very simple answer which I feel is very true -" God Proposes, Man Opposes." So I hope all my friends now understand why I didn't got to the UK to study...I got into all the Uni's I applied to except one and I wanted only that uni. There are more reasons as well but those are too complicated to be put in writing and personal.
And I'd like to tell a special Thanks to Saurabh,Mangal,Rish and Sunil Rao for helping me out along the way.
posted by elusion @ 8/05/2002 12:25:00 AM,
,
Day 3 - 17th June, 2002
Was out by half nine after dropping the kids to their schools. Walked upto the Redbridge tube and travelled all the way till South Kensington. Wanted to check out the way to the great Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine. It's nothing like a uni..just a set of many buildings. I would have assumed it to be some office or residence buildings if it weren't for the signs. But in a crowded and expensive city like London you can't expect much. In the end it's a great uni with an even greater reputation and academic excellance. Said Hi! to the Computing Admissions tutor with whom I had an appointment the next day. Roamed around the South Ken area for a bit and i have to say it's really posh with a number of museums and art galleries.
Went back to the tube station and took a train (actually had to change once in between so i'll make it trains) to Canary Wharf. It's a lovely business area with a lovely station. Lunched with Saurabh who is the first Internet friend I've ever met. And that too we became friends because he's from Imperial and I needed some information. Otherwise I don't entertain random people on the internet too much as they mostly end up asking "Do yo want to cyber?" until recently when my new site came up. Saurabh's been very helpful with a lot of things in the past and I'd like to say "Saurabh, Thanks for everything!"
After lunch I made my way back to the city to the famous Oxford Circus/Street. It's every shoppers haven with numerous shops lined on each side. Bought two jeans from Madhouse and a very pretty denim wallet from the roadside. Must have spent almost two hours window shopping and then finally made my way back to Redbridge.
posted by elusion @ 8/04/2002 07:47:00 AM,
,
Day 2 - 16th June, 2002
Woke up at 12 pm. It was Father's Day as well as Sunny's birthday who had gone off to learn how to drive 4WD's on rocky roads. Pari came over with Jaysha and Ani came over with Sunita. We all went swimming in the pool and had a nice time followed by some Biking(cycling) with lil Laxmi and playing on the PS2 with Krishan.
posted by elusion @ 8/03/2002 07:02:00 AM,
,
Day 1 - 15th June, 2002
Got a window seat on the flight. Comfy journey. Slept most of it and watched some obscure stuff they were showing + A Beautiful Mind...seen it before but it's a lovely movie. On landing in London's Heathrow Airport I expected the people who I was going to be staying with to pick me up but since they weren't there and since I had told them that I would come by myself on the Tube(I yet expected them to come fetch me..how lazy of me!) Hehe! Anyway, I followed the signs to the underground staion and ended up buying a £12.00 ticket on the Heathrow Expres ticket to Picadilly. This was extravagant as I realised later that it would have costed me only £3.40 totally to reach Ilford but I didn't know my way around and ended up buying the Express ticket. At Picadilly I had to buy another ticket for my onward journey to Redbridge from Picadilly and ended up going to the outstation trains Advance and current ticket booking counters and in doing so I ended up getting quite a bruise on my hand lugging my heavy suitcase around. After finally finding the Underground ticket machines I took one train to Bakerloo and then changed there for the Central line to take me to Redbridge. I had to go down escalators to the other platform and my suitcase almost slipped and hit a small girl, I was so scared that I had hurt her or her mother would make a scene...but, luckily they were Asian(people from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh etc... are collectively know as Asian in UK) and she just smiled at me and said it's OK. Thank God for small mercies. I finally reached Redbridge and Jyoti and Laxmi came to pick me up. The whole journey from the Airport had taken me almost two hours when it should have taken only an hour. It was nice seeing them after so long. We went ot visit Bapuji in some hospital in Harrow that day and then went out for Dinner. Drpped off to sleep the moment we reached home and slept till 12 pm the next day.
posted by elusion @ 8/03/2002 06:48:00 AM,
,
Blogging
I know I haven't had any interesting things to read in my blog but the fact is that I don't like writing about my personal stuff and current affairs is useless since all the papers are full of useless corrupt politics. What I'm doing these days isn't of much interest...So, I've decided to write about my whole one month long trip to London and Canada. That was really interesting although I've been to London a million times before(actually three times to be exact!) but this time going to London was different as I was all by myself!!!! So *hopefully* from now on you'll find something interesting to read in my blog!
posted by elusion @ 8/03/2002 04:43:00 AM,
,
New Address
Hi, I've got a new web address..it's www.amrita.tk. It's the same as http://amrita.ontheweb.com But the amrita.tk address sounds better and easier to remember. So now you can access my Margarita's in the Sky... site from amrita.tk as well as www.amrita.ontheweb.com.
Ciao for now.
posted by elusion @ 8/02/2002 02:50:00 AM,
,
