I had moved on in life in the search for that perfect future. I had got tired of going with the flow and had decided in my heart to pick up the rows of life and make an effort to move against the tide.
The sudden trip back to Bangalore came as a surprise for sure but what i looked forward to was to re-kindle those great memories that i had buried in my mind when i left for the Gulf.
On my way home from the airport, i couldn't stop thinking of the countless crazy activities that my friends and I indulged in and the ways that we enjoyed every bit of our lives. As i kept playing those memories over and over in my head like a broken record player, i was suddenly interrupted by the driver who told me i had reached my destination. Like a sudden burst of energy, i hopped out of the cab and literally ran up the stairs with all that luggage.
The next few days in Bangalore were spent in repeating all those crazy things that i had done while i lived there. Bar hopping was one of the most favourite and sought after activities that we indulged in almost every other weekend. Only this time it was not a weekend and i had some dough on me to spend!
I had the opportunity to meet up with my old colleagues from work and visit the October Fest which, by the way, is something that his hosted every year in Bangalore under the sponsorship of Mr. Vijay Mallya, the business tycoon and owner of the United Breweries group in India. This is festival where beer is flowing on the house, rock bands and budding artists are playing their thing, and people are generally having a good time.
This also happens to be one of those days when the cops don't stop you for 'Drink and Drive' because the big man has supposedly 'tipped' them off. All said, the day was an awesome experience.
The rest of the days literally flew past and before i knew it i was packing my bags to go to Kerala, my hometown and the place where my grandparents lived.
It was hard to depart from my friends especially when i was seeing them after months together and, was doing it for the second time.
The stay in Kerala though was a rather pleasant one. I had the chance to eat and fill my stomach with all those lovely granny made dishes and plus to sit around in those huge and well maintained gardens at home to enjoy the autumn sun.
I was in Kerala, when the day i love the most arrived, MY BIRTHDAY!. How i would look forward to this one day in the entire year. I have this strange philosophy; No matter how shitty or bad my year has been, this one day has to be different. It may feel childish but i still love those birthday presents and the birthday bash at home or outside. The only change though over the years is that the birthday parties have moved on from having cakes and home made samosas to tequila shots and discotheques.
The problem here though was that i was in Kerala. I had no friends around and discotheques were kinda hard to find in this city. I had my sister with me and so decided to make the most of it. I rented out a set of wheels and off we went. We visited the one and only mall in Cochin, had a nice lunch, did some shopping and visited the Naval Base, a place where i had spend my high school days.
Like they say, all good things come to an end and so was the case with my little surprise vacation. It was finally time for me to return back and this time work under a valid employment visa. As much as i missed being in India, i actually looked forward to coming back to the UAE.
As i sat at the airport waiting for my flight, i sighted a book shop. i am a Chethan Bhagat fan and so went in to see if i could find his latest book, Revolution 2020. I was lucky to find one of the last copies in the store. As i flipped through the pages and settled down on one of the seats at the airport lounge, i said to myself, One more great story!
The sudden trip back to Bangalore came as a surprise for sure but what i looked forward to was to re-kindle those great memories that i had buried in my mind when i left for the Gulf.
On my way home from the airport, i couldn't stop thinking of the countless crazy activities that my friends and I indulged in and the ways that we enjoyed every bit of our lives. As i kept playing those memories over and over in my head like a broken record player, i was suddenly interrupted by the driver who told me i had reached my destination. Like a sudden burst of energy, i hopped out of the cab and literally ran up the stairs with all that luggage.
The next few days in Bangalore were spent in repeating all those crazy things that i had done while i lived there. Bar hopping was one of the most favourite and sought after activities that we indulged in almost every other weekend. Only this time it was not a weekend and i had some dough on me to spend!
I had the opportunity to meet up with my old colleagues from work and visit the October Fest which, by the way, is something that his hosted every year in Bangalore under the sponsorship of Mr. Vijay Mallya, the business tycoon and owner of the United Breweries group in India. This is festival where beer is flowing on the house, rock bands and budding artists are playing their thing, and people are generally having a good time.
This also happens to be one of those days when the cops don't stop you for 'Drink and Drive' because the big man has supposedly 'tipped' them off. All said, the day was an awesome experience.
The rest of the days literally flew past and before i knew it i was packing my bags to go to Kerala, my hometown and the place where my grandparents lived.
It was hard to depart from my friends especially when i was seeing them after months together and, was doing it for the second time.
The stay in Kerala though was a rather pleasant one. I had the chance to eat and fill my stomach with all those lovely granny made dishes and plus to sit around in those huge and well maintained gardens at home to enjoy the autumn sun.
I was in Kerala, when the day i love the most arrived, MY BIRTHDAY!. How i would look forward to this one day in the entire year. I have this strange philosophy; No matter how shitty or bad my year has been, this one day has to be different. It may feel childish but i still love those birthday presents and the birthday bash at home or outside. The only change though over the years is that the birthday parties have moved on from having cakes and home made samosas to tequila shots and discotheques.
The problem here though was that i was in Kerala. I had no friends around and discotheques were kinda hard to find in this city. I had my sister with me and so decided to make the most of it. I rented out a set of wheels and off we went. We visited the one and only mall in Cochin, had a nice lunch, did some shopping and visited the Naval Base, a place where i had spend my high school days.
Like they say, all good things come to an end and so was the case with my little surprise vacation. It was finally time for me to return back and this time work under a valid employment visa. As much as i missed being in India, i actually looked forward to coming back to the UAE.
As i sat at the airport waiting for my flight, i sighted a book shop. i am a Chethan Bhagat fan and so went in to see if i could find his latest book, Revolution 2020. I was lucky to find one of the last copies in the store. As i flipped through the pages and settled down on one of the seats at the airport lounge, i said to myself, One more great story!
