Come away with me...

From the time that laptops came into the market, I’ve thought about owning one and keeping it handy for all the times that I traveled and wanted to write my thoughts down… for years, I’ve been imagining myself on a train (anywhere – long distance train journeys are almost identical everywhere!), looking out the window, taking in the landscape, and having at the same time a means to capture it forever… And today my dream’s come true… at this particular moment, I’m sitting on an Amtrak, headed on a south-bound journey across the East coast… and I have my laptop on my lap (!) to accompany me - finally.

But you know what I am realizing now? I’m actually spending more time looking down at my monitor than out of the window! So I’m missing the very moments which prompted me to want a laptop handy in the first place! Oh well, you know what they say - “Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it”!

But I’ve got a lot of catching up to do on Blogger so I’m going to take some time out to tear my eyes away from the window and live my little dream :)

Recently, Nithya 'gave' me the “Thinking Blogger” award and she wrote something very nice about my blog, which surprised and pleased me! And according to my new philosophy (which I started following at 7:00 AM this morning), I’ve decided to love myself enough to celebrate the little things in life, so cheers to this thought and this small yet significant achievement!

I’ve also got a lot of other thank yous to say because Zee tagged me… she’s got the devil in her for sure, for putting us all “ees” in this predicament!

But now since I have the time, let me start with first saying thanks to the people who thought of putting sockets next to the seats on this train so that there’s no danger of my laptop running out of battery while I ramble on...

[Oh, just looked out the window - the fog has cleared and New England can now probably be described as a painter’s delight!]

And thanks to -

All the books, novels, travel channels and magazines for giving me the opportunity to experience the world sitting in my living room…

K sir, my 8th standard class teacher, who showed me that joking and having fun doesn’t necessarily mean you lose the respect of the other person…

H, for being my closest friend for the past 15 years and for making “distance” the least of the problems in sustaining a friendship…

R, for being thoughtful and taking the time to send me snail mail and real gifts in parcels across continents, in times when we all usually make-do with e-cards…

[Btw, have you guys heard John Legend? He’s got a voice like rich melting chocolate, which makes you feel warm and light-headed! I’m listening to his song “Ordinary people” right now… Maybe I should thank him too!]

K, for being like a sister I never wanted, but am eternally grateful to have!

C, for not leaving me alone on those nights when I was upset and cried buckets!

My bro, for being very stringent with his appreciation, so that when he nods his head in approval, you know there’s truth in it…

[I’m thanking more than 8 people/things, if that’s ok with you all! I think I'm on a roll here!]

S, for teaching me that first impressions can be totally misleading!

Pink Floyd, INXS, Nickelback, Jagjit Singh Kabir, U2 and many more, for creating lyrics that can move mountains!

Sudhamadhav, my 7th standard classmate, for drawing a pencil line in the middle of the desk we (forcefully) shared and never allowing either of us to break that boundary, not even with a stray eraser or scale! And thus, I knew the exact description of men-to-be-avoided-like-the-plague. Forever.

[Oh, I know whats missing in this landscape outside - there are no cattle grazing in open fields!]

To ‘Annual Sales’ that make frightfully expensive out-of-reach stuff affordable! (I recently bought a pair of flip-flops from a very elite brand, which originally cost $30, for $3.44! I don’t know who’d buy a pair of chappals for 30 dollars anyways!)

[You know you’re approaching New York when the afore-mentioned scenery changes to high metal cranes, unfinished construction sites, blue orange and grey coloured buildings, dirty abandoned plots of land and walls covered with graffiti. Oh, and of course the downtown Manhattan skyline.]

Our helper at home, who knows how to make a perfect cup of challu chai. And who has cared for our family for more than 25 years.

[As my journey comes to an end, I should finish this post and start gathering my stuff up]

And I want to thank my Mom and Dad, but I think this space is not enough to write down the many many reasons I’m grateful to them…

True to my nature, I’m not going to pass on this tag to anyone, just like I don’t usually forward chain letters. Sorry about that.
[FYI, ofcourse the world is not totally high-tech yet and so they still don't have wireless on trains... hmpf... so much for "real time".. so obviously, I'm actually posting this hrs after writing it down]