Saturday, April 04, 2009

Move, Actually

The first sip of the sour orange juice that the stewardess gave him, reminded him of the last visit to the land he was headed to. He had some compulsive taste-place associations. Jalebis reminded him of Hyderabad. Cup-O-Noodles reminded him of Japan, and sometimes, of the happy treks in the western ghats in Karnataka.And sour orange juice always transported him to the US. He couldn't help smiling at the title of the book he was reading. Rohinton Mistry's 'Such a long journey'.

He saw a middle aged couple from his land at the Heathrow airport, in transit. The man was wearing a Black T-shirt that said 'I heart New York' in White. And his wife was wearing a Grey T-shirt that said 'I heart New York' in Black. Very amusing it was, he thought, to see a couple wearing matching Tees at forty. At some point, he was looking forward to this move to the US. But when you look forward to something long enough, you cease to look forward to it. He had started making alternate plans that started to seem more appealing. Like moving to Bangalore. Bouldering and ultimate frisbee with K and crowd. Random treks, beer, and conversations with K. Hanging around friends/travel companions who'll have interesting tales to tell (of building a porn site, or the education system in Timbuktu, or how a kitchen cabinet is built with bare hands). And drinking with this friend who could break into a Lady Macbeth monologue in the middle of a drink, and make everyone in the bar look in their direction. But then a door to the US suddenly opened up. So he thought of surfing and community colleges and a shift to product engineering and hanging around sis and bil, and the money. Ofcourse the money he could make and the resultant time he could afford to be off work once back home, and do that year's travel around India atleast before 35. And so he boarded a plane to San Francisco. Still wondering if he should've tried moving to Bangalore instead. But he tells himself, that if things don't fall in place, he can always catch the next flight back home, and is already thinking of all the things he should be doing once he heads back home, Sikkim, to start with. He is probably just designed to live in transit.

So sharks, if any, in Santa cruz and Half moon bay, please be nice to him. And the happy harmless fishes of Thiruvanmayur, he wouldn't be gone for too long, so you'll get back the human feet to nibble at.

15 comments:

M... said...

dei...is your email id the same? sent you a note. not that i expect any response or a call anyway.

Anonymous said...

Did me not being a girl had anything to do with the fact that you forgot to call me before leaving? ;-)

Mac

Princess Fiona said...

u finally left for US???nice!!! have a wonderful visit and may all ur dreams come true.. :)

Parth said...

Loved the title. Enjoy your stay in sunny California

frissko said...

M - yep same id...i've mailed you...

Mac - :). Not that that is improbable, but that was not the case this time around. Lost my phone and hence the address book. So couldn't call anybody (irrespective of gender). Met Mahesh/Nutt a couple of days before i left and Nutt was supposed to rope you and Sriram in...

Fiona - Yep...Heavy heavy words you're using. Thanks.

Parth - Thanks man...

See Bee said...

:)
i like how you give everyone a lil place in your posts

I see you're already becoming American, aying 'alternate' in lieu of 'alternative'

;)

Anjana R said...

you have one of the most interesting blog titles ive ever come across :)

frissko said...

trauma - oye, 'alternate' is more of a technology residue...(in data networking, there are 'routes and alternate routes', terms we use to appear nerdy when we are around random people)...

anjana - thanks...and when more than one person comments about a post's title, i know the rest is trash :)...

Gymnast said...

Very well written.

frissko said...

thanks gymnast...

RagzZmatazZ said...

"Welcome to the Hotel California "

Ragini

P said...

Love reading your posts! always wanted to write a comment but this time the title did push me to..i was so reminded of my fav movie Love,Actually! :) Wishing you luck in your new found land!

frissko said...

Ragini - avery belated thanks!...

P - Thanks, and thanks. I've never seen the entire the movie in one stretch...should catch it sometime...

Anonymous said...

Everything is good but that "saving money to spend a better future" .... Not the avinaash that i know and not that the idea that i agree with.

Vasanth

frissko said...

Vasanth - Well i don't agree with the idea myself, and am figuring out i am not equipped to save money irrespective of where i live :) (am following the same pattern of late payments, bounced cheques, and all the works here, except that the damages are heavier). But the truth is, it did occur to me that 6 months here would be like 2 years there, money-wise, and it would make it easier to take that year off work in the foreseeable future, without worrying if there is enough money for family emergencies and stuff...