Things I learnt in Venice

- No matter how many times you see a place in the movies, actually going there changes everything.

- Masks are seductive and mysterious and addictive, Wanting every beautiful one you see is completely natural.

- Getting lost is just finding a different way

- My sense of direction is pretty solid.

- Dressing up is fun so are grand costume balls.

- It is not a crime to not take pictures of every little thing you see, if fact it is perfectly alright to not even take your camera out of its bag.

- The alleys of Venice are still just as dark as they were, no wonder it's such a romantic city. You can't describe it, but you can feel it in the air.

The Bridge of Sighs

- Red wine is good, but when infused with spices and served hot (Vin Brule) it is close to divine.

- The words "Hare Rama Hare Krishna" have incredible power.

- Wearing a mask ( losing your identity ?) is oddly liberating, even in a city where no one knows you.

- It is possible to have your breath taken away in rapid succession, you will not die of it.

- "Americans vacationing in Europe" - every stereotype is true and most annoying.

- If you declare you are from Jamaica, it turns women on and guys give you free booze.

- Indian food is everywhere, so are gujjus.

- Venice has literally not changed for the last 600 years, yes its true.

- Colour combinations you never dreamt of exist on the masks and costumes of Venice.

- Two people dancing can get completely lost in each other even if they are in the middle of a public square and to see that happen under the twinkling lights is intoxicating, mesmerising and leaves you in awe.

- The grand canal at 2 in the morning is a sight to behold.

- I felt queasy on the boat.

- It is perfectly possible to walk all day (more than 12 hours) without getting tired.

- Carnevale is Carnevale, words cannot describe it, one must be part of it.

- A massive sensory overload is to be expected, that you can absorb and process all of it is a rarity.

- Venice as an island is a world of its own, to truly experience it you must actually be in it, walk through its many enchantments and emerge on the other side, altered, changed and never to be the same again.

One Bite Home

The smallest things often evoke the strongest responses. A faint smell, a passing car, the first drop of rain or even an unexpected happenstance.

Cooking is part of the daily routine here. Be it the hurried sandwiches when I come home for lunch or the pastas and curry at night. the goal of Most of these attempts is not culinary magnificence, rather it is the simple function of not going hungry. I eat so I must cook.

Every once in a while though, things happen in the kitchen that catch you completely off guard. Tonight was one of those times. When I sat down to eat my Anda Curry and 4 chapattis, little did I know what was about to happen next.

The first bite took me home. It instantaneously transported me 8000 miles, from the table in Milan to the kitchen in Pune. I do not know how  it happened but the curry tasted exactly like my mom makes it. I wasn't trying to make it taste the same, but it did. I felt this surge of emotion that I can't quite explain. This welling tide just kept building up inside me. I kept shaking my head in disbelief through the entire meal muttering after every bite. Now as I write this down I still can't believe what has just happened. How did I do it ?!?!!

Moments that move your soul are few and far in this life. Today a bunch of spices boiled in water with eggs did exactly that.

Drowning

My eyes refuse my pleading,

Don't close please,

Without sight I am lost

The mind wanders

to lands far away

Aeons ago to

when I was none,

With the universe one.

Pitch black it is,

the night consumes me.

Its dark velvet

a soft embrace,

Somewhere in this darkness

it lies,

the desire to see her,

He that was once the king of hearts

Now finds solace in the dark,

No more running,

for the red moon I must face.

Shining brightly in my face

and in my mind's eye.

Hark! the snap back to now,

a falling head jerked back up

No red, no black, only grey.

No I plead to you oh little ones,

go not dark,

let me see

let me be.....

(P.S. - I wrote this poem half awake. I was drifting in and out of sleep in class and thought if I started writing, I'd be focused enough to stay awake. Did not work. I remember writing the first 5 lines. After that its all a blur. This is what came out in my semi conscious state.)