I believe I can fly

So i was determined to spend the last of my free time usefully.

Unfortunately, it hasn't been working out exactly to plan...

1. Learn to read and write Tamil - Done!
I loved growing up delhi and bombay and alwar, but you might be able to imagine how irritating it is to have people ask you what your mother tongue is followed by an, "oh! It's your mother tongue but you can't read or write in it??". Not to mention the feeling of shame i get whenever my grandfather announces he's published another book or article, and i am unable to read it. Well no more!! I have proudly announced to my grandfather that i have done it!! I have learnt sanskrit and tamil, and that, according to him, makes it fairly certain that i have some appreciation for our culture and heritage.

2. Learn Bengali - In progress
After 22 years of watching my mother and her siblings lapse into bengali whenever they wanted to keep something from us, i have picked up a moderate amount of the language. But only bits and pieces, enough for me to grasp the gist of it. The nature of the family squabble or scandal or whatever else the nature of the gossip. But it's always felt oddly unsatisfying. What with me sharing their taste in food and sense of humor and love of gossip and card games, i think it's about time i get in on yet another of my mother's family's many quirks.

3. Exercise - In progress
After sticking to an average of one meal a day in college, the highly regimented home schedule of eat-sleep-eat-sleep-and eat some more always has serious effects on my um... constitution. So i have taken to daily exercise.... sort of. :P

4. Improve Guitar skills - In progress
You wouldn't believe how much you can forget about playing the guitar in just three short years. Damn!! I just realised it when i was required to make a um... recording. Can't let it get any worse. So daily guitar practice is happening.

5. Exploration - In progress
Much exploration has been done in chennai and bombay. Both being slightly constrained what with my faithful ferrari having been seized by the authorities in chennai, and my lack of one in bombay. And yet, i have persevered!! New areas of chennai uncovered, and much of colaba explored. Baroda exploration commencing presently, though i don't really have much hopes for this place. It appears not to have the charm of my favorite cities.

6. Flying lessons - Roadblock
Ever since, as a child, i saw the great eagle soaring through the skies, i have asked myself, why cannot man do the same? Why cannot he glide through the air with the greatest of ease? Like the daring young man on the flying trapeze??!! :P Basically, that adrenaline rush is very addictive. And they should not be putting 9th std. children in gliders, even if they are in the NCC. That's what gets us hooked... :)

Ahem, anyway... Apparently the classes required to obtain a private pilot's permit aren't all that much. I just need to have completed 12th std, there are some theory classes and some time on simulators(which, after years playing microsoft flight simulators, should be a breeze), after which i have to rack up 100 flight hours on the training craft accompanied by a pilot. After the 100 hours(which i can obtain over the course of several years if need be. yeah right!), i can take the solo flight test to obtain my license. And there are several flight clubs offering training, and what with the shortage of pilots, the government has cut down heavily on the fees. So you'd think it's all hunky-dory. Unfortunately, the problem being that the duration of the course before i go up in the aircraft(accompanied or otherwise) is one month, and i am not staying in any one place long
enough these hols, for that to happen. :( And what's even worse is that i'm guessing i have to hike to devanahalli every weekend if i have to do it in bangalore... Worsht!!

Which brings me to the last point(that i can think of right now), that is, what i missed out from point no. 5.

I am going to Paris!! Woohoo!! What more can i say?? I've never been to europe, so this is going to be the first. It allows me to work on my exploration skills(for that time when i set out to discover atlantis) and also allows me to work on point no. 7, practice and improve french. To that end, i am determined to speak to at least five french people everyday. And if it so happens that all of them are female, good looking, and between the ages of 18 and 25, well... it would be an odd coincidence indeed... :P

Now shush!! I am watching Anthony Bourdain in Paris, and he has a very interesting take on absinthe... he appears to be drinking it.

Later