Train Check

There are some incidents that take place in life that you can’t easily forget. Some are funny, some are tragic. But they make up your memories none the less. The following happened during the summer of 2006.

I was in India on vacation and had joined private classes for GRE preparation. The classes were far away from home, so I used to take the train. I met this girl at these classes and very soon we became good friends. We had a deal. She would help me out with the Verbal (English) section and I would help her with the Quantitative (Maths) section. We started liking each other. One fine day, she had to change trains at my station. She called me up and warned me that her friends were with her, so I couldn’t go up to her and talk to her because she didn’t want her friends to have any idea. I stood at the platform waiting for her (and the train). When she got off she looked at me and smiled. I so wanted to go up to her, but couldn’t. She was with two girls and a boy. Now, in Mumbai we have separate compartments for men and women. So, this guy (her friend) climbs into the men’s compartment with me. He stood bang opposite me. I even caught him staring at me a couple of times. I wondered, “Is he suspicious? Does he know?” He had no clue, but neither did I as to why he was giving me those looks. After few stops, the girls got off and she was alone in that compartment. She called me up. This got me really blushing. We spoke for around 15 mins till we reached our destination and the guy in front of me, “Mr. Stares-a-lot”, could hear everything I said to her including, “When is he going to get off?” but thankfully he still didn’t catch on. We three got off at the last stop and she warned me on the phone again not to approach her. We decided to meet at some particular junction a bit away from the station. When I got off, I saw both of them talking and while walking past them I brushed my hand past her outstretched hand in the smoothest of ways. When I turned around she glanced at me and smiled again. At this moment, the guy caught her looking at me but didn’t respond. We both met up at the designated place later and laughed about it.

About a week later, her sms woke me up. She had written something about losing her umbrella, her favourite, pink umbrella. Apparently, she had left it in the train and got off. I ignored it and went back to sleep. But about an hour later, she called me up and told me that the train was heading my side and requested me to run to the station and intercept. I did so. My mom was bedazzled to see me get ready so fast and leave the house at that speed. As I exited the door I told her, “I’ll explain later but it’s important.” I normally walk to the station but this time I took a taxi. By the time I reached the train has already passed by. Suddenly mom called up and I explained the “friend losing an umbrella” part to her. Then miss “pink umbrella” calls up to let me know that she is arriving in ten minutes. I went to the station master, asked him to look into the matter and find out when the train will return. The poor little nice guy contacted the CST (final stop) station master and informed me that the train is expected back in twenty minutes. As expected madam arrived and came straight to the station master’s office uttering her first words, “You look cute today”. Now, I knew she was messing around. I had not even showered that morning, my hair was all over the place and I was sweating profusely. Those words got the little guy in my head to laugh “ha-ha-ha-ha-ha” and I said to her, “Can we focus at the problem at hand?” So, the station master and I explained the situation to her. When we both exited the office, I was startled at what I saw.

It was “Mr. Stares-a-lot” looking right at me with a strange “have I seen you before” look and in my head I’m thinking, “You saw me a week back, you jackass, but thanks for not recognizing me even though we stood opposite each other for 30 minutes.” She introduced us, we shook hands. Silence. Nobody uttered a word after that. I knew I didn’t want to speak. So, both of us carried on to the designated platform and waited for the train to come while her friends stood on the opposite platform giving me the strangest of looks once again. Maybe that guy told them something about me, which still remains a mystery.

We didn’t find the umbrella. Someone probably took it. But it was worth a run, for me at least. I wonder if I’ll ever see “Mr. Stares-a-lot” again. I wonder if he’s reading this right now and still doesn’t have a clue that it was him.

Prison Break and 24

I am quite the TV and film buff. Recently, I've managed to catch up on some of the best serials made in modern television. I enjoy films and serials of all genres, but nothing beats a good action-thriller with its usual dosage of drama and comedy. Two such serials have become my favourite and I long to watch the next episode each time I finish the previous one. Just go to google and search for Jack Bauer or Michael Scofield and you'll know how famous these characters have become worldwide.

PRISON BREAK

Prison Break is into its third season now. Breaking out of prison is just the beginning. Prison life in the USA is something unique and interesting. But when someone gets into prison in order to break out, and has done years of research about every aspect of prison, you have yourself a treat.

In a gist and without giving away too much, Wentworth Miller plays Michael Scofield, an engineer who's brother, Lincoln Burrows played by Dominic Purcell, is convicted of a crime that he didn't commit and faces the death penalty. After learning that his brother is innocent and has been set up by very powerful people, Michael decides to commit a crime in order get imprisonated and break out with his brother.

Brilliant writing by Paul T Scheuring, accompanied by good performances by Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell makes Prison Break what it is today. They have managed to extend the serial after coming up with conspiracy after conspiracy.

24

24 is a one-of-a-kind series. Rated as one the most addictive on TV ever, it has been nominated in almost every category in the past six years. It is currently into its seventh season. 24 gives us a close-up look on the counter-terrorist unit (CTU) headed by Jack Bauer, played by Kiefer Sutherland, who keeps the country safe from terrorist threats. It also follows his personal life and the lives of the other members of the squad, government officials and the terrorists.

You might wonder why is the name 24. This is a unique serial and the first of its kind. Every episode occurs in real-time, in one hour. There are 24 episodes in a season, hence that makes it a day. Each season depicts a 24-hour period. The next video is a short clip from the first episode of season four.

Overall the show has been nominated a lot. Kiefer Sutherland is the heart and soul of 24. He won a Golden Globe award for Best Actor in a drama series after just 10 episodes of the first season and has been nominated for the Golden Globe and the Emmy alomst every year.

In the arms of the angel

Very often we find ourselves looking to someone else for help, for advice. Very often we reach out in ways unknown to us when life comes rushing at us from out of the darkness. We look for heaven on earth, we look for an angel, our angel. Someone who will comfort you, who will protect you, who will guide you to the light. It is in the arms of that angel that we find a place called heaven.

Here's my song of the moment. No other song could have been more perfect for the OST of The City of Angels.


Spend all your time waiting for that second chance
For the break that will make it ok
There's always some reason to feel not good enough and it's hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction oh beautiful release, memories seep from my veins
They may be empty and weightless and maybe I'll find some peace tonight
In the arms of an Angel fly away from here
From this dark, cold hotel room, and the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage of your silent reverie
You're in the arms of an Angel; may you find some comfort here
So tired of the straight line, and everywhere you turn
There's vultures and thieves at your back
The storm keeps on twisting, you keep on building the lies
That you make up for all that you lack
It don't make no difference, escaping one last time
It's easier to believe in this sweet madness, oh this glorious sadness that brings me to my knees
In the arms of an Angel far away from here
From this dark, cold hotel room, and the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage of your silent reverie
In the arms of an Angel; may you find some comfort here
You're in the arms of an Angel; may you find some comfort here

2008

A new day, a new month, a new year! Every year I hope that the upcoming 12 months will be better than the previous ones. Every year I make a mockery of people's resolutions, saying that they will never last, nobody ever follows them for an entire year, or even remembers about them after January goes by. Every year I look back and let the lessons that I have learnt in the past year get imprinted onto my memory. Every year I work out, stay in shape and then ruin the hardwork by overeating in India.

January promises to be one of the most important months of 2008 for me. I'll defend my project and will finally graduate, I'll make the transition across the ocean to do my masters without any sort of break, I'll embark on a new journey into the wilderness that is USA, the chapter called "Russia" will be over after five years. January holds the key to the next two years of my life, and the next two years of my life will shape up the rest of them, I'm told.

The past year was eventful. Memorable moments include my mom and sister visiting me in St.Petersburg and us touring in Moscow, me celebrating my birthday at home after five years, me getting my US visa, me witnessing an ILS crosswind approach at Helsinki while landing at night through my window and finally, me running around the university trying to convince my department that I can graduate.

Years come and go, I don't even see 1st January as a big deal anymore, it's just another day to me. People say that whatever you do on the first day of the year, you end up doing all year long. Well, I don't know how true that is. Resolutions, though, have to be made. People make them every year, including me. It doesn't matter if you follow them or not, but you need to make them. My resolutions for 2008 include more tonic from last year, more of the same, more hardwork, more determination, more leadership, more responsibility, more ambition, more friends. But something needs to be added every year, something should be new, they say. So, this year I'll add work and blogging. I will try my best to blog as often as I can, as sincerely as I can and will try my best to get an on-campus job or assistantship of some kind. Now that I have written it down, I'll check at the end of the year how much I tried.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008!