Philosophy || Some memorable words ...

1.
Miles and time can't stop what we have
Its a bond that lasts forever
We might both be doing what we have to do
But if ever you'll need me, I'll always be around.

2.
Heights of innocence - 1 chhote bache ne darwaaza khola aur apni didi ke boyfriend ko dekh kar pyaar se bola - Aap roz didi se milne aate ho, aapki apni didi nahin hai kya? ;-)

3.
Kyun hota hai nasha din dhalne ke saath
Kyun jee chahta hai karne ko aapse kuch baat
Boojhe na mann ko kuch to kya hua janaab
Ab to khamoshiyon mein hi ho mulakat

Aapki raah mein hum jee thaame baithe hain
Aap yahan nahin, yeh khabar hai, phir bhi aas liye baithe hain
Ki koi awaaz humein aapka ehsaas karvaye
Is parwane ko jannat ki sair karwaye

4.
Dil se tera khayal na jaaye to kya karoon
Tu hi bata teri yaad jo aaye to kya karoon
Hasrat yeh hai ki tujhe ek nazar dekh loon
Kismat agar woh lamha na laaye to kya karoon

5.
Whenever anyone hurts you, don't cry! Remember ... It takes 49 muscles to cry & 12 muscles to smile ... But, only 6 muscles to give a tight slap. Ghuma ke dena ek!

6.
Interviews are ur strength. Believe in urself, u're awesome! - Athanni

7.
Everyone starts out with a full bag of luck & an empty bag of experience.
The trick is to fill the bag of experience before the luck runs out.

8.
Mitra taru shu naam rakhu? Swapn rakhu to adhuru rahse, dil rakhu to tuti jase. To pachhi vicharyu ke zindagi rakhi dau, mrutyu sudhi to sathe raheshe.

9.
Attitude redefined -
"Millions of people write love letters everyday ... But everyone sends their first one to me. Imagine how smart I am ... ", said by Dustbin A to Dustbin B.

10.
हालत के क़दमों पर सिकंदर नहीं झुकता
टूटता है तारा पर ज़मीन पर नहीं गिरता
गिरती हैं लहरें समुंदर में
पर समुंदर लहरों में नहीं गिरता

11.
A friend is like a 'pitara' in which we can store our 'problem saara'. When life becomes 'khatara', then friend is 'great sahara'. Samjhe mere 'yaara'?

12.
A - Feeling absolutely happy for reasons I can't explain
B - I'm happy that you're happy
A - Btw, I'm happy that you're happy for me being happy
:D

13.
Raghav - Ghire badlon mein teri yaar aati hai, saawan ke aane se teri yaad aati hai, baarish ki boondon mein teri yaad aati hai ...
Kapil  - Haan jaanta hoon mujhe teri chhatri deni hai, taane mat maar!
hahaha ...

14.
Happy Teacher's Day!
On this day, find some time to remember everyone who has taught you something in life!
I just did, ur turn now! :)

15.
'United we stand, Divided we fall' ka hindi version - "संगठन में शक्ति है, अकेले में फटती है" :D

16.
"Of course men can be feminists! Anything you can do, we can do better"

17.
I was doing INTEGRATION but I don't know how to integrate all the moments shared with you. Doing LIMITS, I couldn't find the limit for how long we'll be friends. I don't understand the LOGIC behind our friendship. But I know that there is full PROBABILITY that we'll be friends forever and it'll be so strong that no one can DIFFERENTIATE it!

18.
"Dear girls,
If a guy pauses his video game to message you back, marry him!"

19.
Har taraf padhai ka saaya hai
Har paper mein zero aaya hai
Hum to yun hi chale jaate hain bina muh dhoye exam dene
Aur log kehte hain - Saala raat bhar padhke aaya hai

20.
"Jahan ghuste ho, wahi ke ho jaate ho!"

21.
"Feel free to feel lucky!"

22.
Khwabon mein doobe hain hum
To tumko kya dard hai zaalim
Tum hi tum ho khwabon mein
To ismein meri kya khataa

23.
A mind blowing fact - No matter guys buy 220 cc pulsars or 350 cc Royal Enfields ... They are used only to follow a 90cc Scooty!

24.
Friends are like baloons. Once u let them go, u cant ever bring them back. That's y I think ... Aapki hawa nikaal ke aapko apne paas hi rakh loon!

25.
Who can sing a group song alone?
Oh come on, don't expect Rajnikant to do everything.
It's Raavan!

26.
Laugh when you can
Apologize when you should
And let go of what you can't change.
Life is too short to be worrying about anything!
Be happy!

27.
Aap mere liye lucky ho ... (Pears ad)

28.
3 simple tips to be safe in the game of life -
Don't promise when you're happy
Don't reply when you're angry, and
Don't decide when you're sad

29.
Hope is a good thing, may be the best of things ... And no good thing ever dies

30.
"Sam - It's like in the great stories Mr Frodo, the ones that really mattered ... Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn't want to know the end because how could the end be happy?! How could the world go back to what it was when so much bad had happened?!
But in the end, it's only a passing thing ... A shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day WILL come! And when the Sun shines, it'll shine out the clearer.
Those were the stories that stayed with you had meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think Mr Frodo, I do understand, I know now. Folks in old stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't; They kept going. Because they were holding onto something.
Frodo - What are we holding onto Sam?
Sam - That there's some GOOD in this world Mr Frodo, and it's WORTH Fighting for!"
- Samwise Gamgee (Samwise, the brave), The Two Towers, Lord of The Rings

Poetry || The Brook by Alfred Tennyson

The Brook by Alfred Tennyson (1908)

I come from haunts of coot and hern,
I make a sudden sally,
And sparkle out among the fern,
To bicker down a valley.

By thirty hills I hurry down,
Or slip between the ridges,
By twenty thorps, a little town,
And half a hundred bridges.

Till last by Philip's farm I flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on forever.

I chatter over stony ways,
In little sharps and trebles,
I bubble into eddying bays,
I babble on the pebbles.

With many a curve my banks I fret
by many a field and fallow,
And many a fairy foreland set
With willow-weed and mallow.

I chatter, chatter, as I flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may comeand men may go,
But I go on forever.

I wind about, and in and out,
with here a blossom sailing,
And here and there a lusty trout,
And here and there a grayling,

And here and there a foamy flake
Upon me, as I travel
With many a silver water-break
Above the golden gravel,

And draw them all along, and flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on forever.

I steal by lawns and grassy plots,
I slide by hazel covers;
I move the sweet forget-me-nots
That grow for happy lovers.

I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance,
Among my skimming swallows;
I make the netted sunbeam dance
Against my sandy shallows.

I murmur under moon and stars
In brambly wildernesses;
I linger by my shingly bars;
I loiter round my cresses;

And out again I curve and flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on forever.

Poetry || Trees by Joyce Kilmer

I remember reciting this poem at a Poetry Recitation Competition in Class 5. I was too confident to win, but I didn't :P

Trees by Joyce Kilmer (1914)

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree

A tree who's hungry mouth is pressed
Against the earth's sweet-flowing breast

A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray

Upon whose bosom snow has lain
Who intimately lives with rain

Poems are made by fools like me
But only God can make a tree

Sprituality || Angels of God

Angels of God
From Heaven so bright
Watch over my children
And guide them aright

Fold your wings around them
And guard them with love
Sing to them softly
From Heaven above

Amen

Review || Mere Brother Ki Dulhan

Statutory Warning - When u are going for a Bollywood movie, especially one that is supposedly 'masala' and has been labelled as one falling under the genre of 'Romance' by PVR Cinemas, u need to Close Your Mind i.e. Seal Your Brains!

Considering that u are abiding by the above mentioned warning (consider guideline), there are very high chances of u liking the movie!

Since it's a Yash Chopra film, there has to be marriage and good music involved, and so it does!

Plot - Luv, who is an investment banker in London, breaks up with his girlfriend Pyaali Patel (which gujju calls their daughter pyaali? Wonder what do they call their son - Cup? Chai? U know .. Chai-Pyaali or may be Cup-Pyaali? :P)

So yeah, 15 mins after his break-up he calls up his brother Kush (Imraan Khan obv) to look for a dulhan for him. Kush finds Dimple (Katrina), the perfect bride. What happens next? Watch the movie!

Music - The title track lives up to all expectations, even the lyrics are great, barring 'Matrimonial si aankhein', sung by the chorus and maimed by Imran Khan too. All other songs are great. However, my personal favourite was 'Kaisa yeh isk hai'.

Actors - A random 'reviewer' on Big 92.7 FM said that Ali suits best in films like 'Phas Gaye Re Obama'. Someone please go and tell her that Ali was not a part of that film, he made 'Tere Bin Laden' which was also a wonderful satirical comedy. However, Ali has done a good enough job. Of course, there are portions which are not perfect, but not that bad huh! Imran is great, looks good. However, I think he wasn't as carefree as he was in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na or even Kidnap.

Other characters played by Katrina's brother, Imran's friends, the parents have all done a good job. But, Katrina is the one who steals the show! She's got the perfect looks (esp in the song Dhunki and the scooter sequence), the hindi dialogues (well, her character has been customized for her), and she's totally confident and cool throughout the film.

If u think that I'm a die-hard romantic and this film will give u all the mills & boons sort of things, no way! But yes, it will remind u of one of the biggest Yash Raj banner's successes .. Yes, it'll remind u of DDLJ (Ugh!).

However, I'd say, all in all, it's a must watch!

My rating - **** (4/5) :D

Kaisa yeh isk hai, ajab sa risk hai ....

Review || Zomato.com

Started off as Foodiebay.com, I first came to know of this website through a random poster put up on the notice board of Kailash Hostel, IIT Delhi (Old Kailash, mind u!). At that time, I didn't quite understand what was it all about. So I decided to google and OMG, what I found was spell binding!

Though I don't know who all started it but I've met one of its co-founders Pankaj Chaddah personally and I must say they're all, quite an impressive lot. And the timing was so perfect ... I was working in full swing for Phokatcopy's operations so yeah, in a way it was inspiring too.

Coming back to zomato, let's mention some likes and some dislikes/ scope of improvement at this website. Let me try to stick to the standard no. of 3 :P

Likes -

1. In the current version of the website, what I really like is the way it all starts. No complications, simple straight forward options listed - All, Delivery, Dine-out, Night-life. And of course, u have the option to look for a joint of ur choice by location of simply search its name.

2. The good part about the search is the 'Auto correct'. I don't know whether the makers themselves are aware of this or not, but this happened with me yesterday when I was looking for the menu of Khaaja Chowk. I ended up typing Khwaja Chowk (a wrong spelling), yet I got the correct menu! :P

Lucky me!

3. Lots of cities covered. And I think they're adding more!

4. Yes, there is another point! And that is their latest app! It's bunderphool .. I mean wonderful!

5. And of course, the mention of facilities like air-conditioning, wi-fi and yes, the map!

6. contests! Like the latest, write for a bite contest! For further details, check out www.zomato.com

7. The 'About Us' page ... I don't know who wrote this all, but that person is impressively witty and I just love the way it's been penned er.. typed! :P

Dislikes/ Scope for improvement -

1. I've noticed spelling mistakes in reviews at times, I think they should work on them. Only heavy words won't do.

2. Variation in price. Yes, surprisingly, I saw that at couple of places too. For instance, more than a year ago, when Barbeque Nation used to serve 2 different buffets for lunch with the higher version priced around 450/- plus taxes, zomato (then foodiebay) mentioned cost for two as 1500/-, which of course, was not correct. Thankfully, it's been rectified to 1200/-.

So there can be slight variations at times. But generally, as in 90% of the information is correct.

3. Cut the crap! I don't think there can be any dislike! Quoting a friend .. 'sab kuch to mast hai' and of course, the only probable dislike 'someone else owns the company' ;-)

Well ... nothing more to say!

I'd rate tomato .. I mean Zomato ****1/2. Yes, I've left 1/2 coz I dunno what else are they gonna come up with, considering the new 'Events' section added.

Random || Writing reviews

Well, everyone on this earth is used to (and some of them are sick of) my habit of commenting on everything. So I thought it's high time I should actually start writing reviews about anything and everything. Actually, a one-lined rating of a book on Facebook seems a bit tacky to me! :P

So here goes, and I think I'll make a perfect start with Zomato!!! :D

Random || Change Your Mind by Boyce Avenue

There you are with your perfect way
You’ve got that little shine in your eyes
To hear one word would make my day
But there’s no room for me in your life

Oh you’ve got me down on my knees
Oh and in my mind I can see
How perfect everything could be
But you won’t give us a try

If I could change your mind
How would you want me
Would you say you need me
Cause I need you now

I try to move on but your perfect way
Has got this little child asking why
But this world keeps spinning
As my heart stops beating
Is there still no room inside

Oh you’ve got me down on my knees
Oh and in my mind I can see
How perfect everything could be
But you won’t give us a try

If I could change your mind
How would you want me
Would you say you need me
Cause I need you now

If I could change your mind
(Please tell me I’m not the only one)
(Please help me believe I’m not the only one)
If I could change your mind

If I could change your mind
How would you want me
Would you say you need me
Cause I need you now
If I could change your mind
How would you hold me
Would you stay forever
Or just leave me here to drown

If I could change your mind
(Change your mind)
If I could change your mind
(Change your mind)

Personal || Malay

Situation - I'm in deep sleep, thanks to my tiring trip and I get a call from an unknown land-line number of Delhi.

Me - Hello?

A guy answers - Hello.

Me - Yes

Him - I just got a call, who's this?

Me - Well, u called, so whom do u wanna talk to?

Him - Er .. I just got a call from this no. and I just picked up the phone. Btw, what's ur name?

Me - I guess there's some cross - connection

Him - What is ur name?

Me - (waking up a little and realizing that this chap sounds like Malay) Er .. Shruti

Him - Can I ask u for dinner?

I hang up!

I get a call back, from a different land - line this time.

Him - U know it's really rude to hang up like that.

Me - Malay!

Him - That was rude

Me - Malay, enough!

Him - I get it, but it's rude to hang up like that

(Roars of laughter, on both sides!)

Huh! It felt great to talk to the idiot after a long time and of course, for a long time. He's such a sweetheart!

Anyway, highlights -

- Hard decisions are hard to make. That is why they are called hard.

- U need to have a goal in mind and pursue it mindlessly.

- U like the "I don't know" or u don't, u might as well think of making money out of the "I don't know".

It all came down to 3 basic things:

1. Meeting him is overdue. I remember I have to take him out for coffee (Barista's Mocha Cappuccino .. God knows why he likes it).

2. It feels great when someone encourages u and motivates u for something pyaar se.

3. Don't let him get into the 'preaching' mode often. Excess of everything is bad.

Malaiiiii ... U're always special. Even though I don't call u that often, and meet u even less, but thank God u stuck to my side in all odds. Glad to have a friend like u! Btw, I'm eager to see u all fatty again :D

Personal || Anku

Anku ... Every time I take this name, a smile crosses my face.

Tu meri life ki shining hai,
wining hai, dining hai
Ho kaale baadal to,
tu silver lining hai ...

An unexpected package, she's too special for me :)

Personal || Highlight of the day - Anku

- Long chat with Anku ... refreshing!!!!
- Reactivation of FB a/c, thanks to Anku
- Anku saying - I text also some times :D

Random || Before I forget

Let me make a list before I forget ...

Day 5 - Wed, Apr 27 - Cambridge [aloo ke paranthe]
Day 6 - Thur, Apr 28 - Shopping!!!! (Oxford Street) [biryani]
Day 7 - Fri, Apr 29 - Royal Wedding and a walk that lasted 3 hours :P (Bank, St Paul's Cathedral, Millennium Bridge, South Bank, Mary Magdalene's Cathedral, Monument) [dal-chawal]
Day 8 - Sat, Apr 30 - Eastbourne [gobhi ke paranthe]
Day 9 - Sun, May 1 - Woke up late, Tesco & Boots shopping [chicken]
Day 10 - Mon, May 2 - Oxford [aloo ke paranthe]
Day 11 - Tue, May 3 - Surrey [chhole]
Day 12 - Wed, May 4 - Relaxing at home and lots of GG! [matar-paneer, chicken]
Day 13 - Thur, May 5 - Madame Tussaud's wax museum, early dinner at Vapiano and Thames Clipper (cruise on Thames) [aloo gobhi]
Day 14 - Fri, May 6 - Expecting some more shopping, and meeting Ritu & Charchit jiju, of course.

Travel || Day 4 - Tuesday, Apr 26

A day to Canary Wharf ...

Got up late, and took the tube to Bank. Bank station is the station for Bank of England (the RBI of England). From here, we took DLR (Dock Land Rail) to Greenwich. Here, we saw the National Maritime Museum, where we saw old maps, globes, models of different ships. We saw how the thinking of the world in terms of geography changed in course of times, the different expeditions, discovery of America, trade with India & Africa, anti-slavery movements,etc. Basically, one could see how this country ruled the world.
Phir 5 baj gaye aur museum bandh ho gaya. Phir hum thoda sa Greenwich ghoome aur DLR pakadke pahunche Canary Wharf.
Saw the Canary Wharf tower, bought ghee from Waitrosse, some shopping from Next and then had a lavish dinner at Nando's. Ah! Kya dinner tha! Mazaa aa gaya! Had a khatarnaak dinner ...
Then walk at the dock lands amidst crazy hawa .. Phir DLR pakadke ghar!

Highlights of the day -
1. Bhaiya kept receiving Morse code messages at the museum without knowing how to decode them or where they came from. The decoding chart was pasted on his right and the messages were sent by Bhabhi from another machine, 15 steps away.
2. We were practically thrown out of the museum because at 4.55pm Bhabhi, Ma and I were in the wash room and those ppl had to close the museum at 5pm sharp.
3. Bought Tiramisu, frozen Pizza and Panna Cotta from Waitrosse. It would be my first experience with Tiramisu and Panna Cotta.
4. Picked up lots of tissues from Nando's. Doesn't sound too much fun but the entire exercise was very funny. Only 4 of us who had dinner together there would be able to relate best.
5. Meri topi gum gayi :( :(
6. Nando's pe chicken dinner kar liya despite the fact ki Tuesday tha. Chhutti mein yaad hi nahin raha ki Tuesday hai aur non-veg nahin khana.

Travel || Day 3 - Monday, Apr 25

Amidst lot of lazing around, we started our day by taking a big red bus to Waterloo station from where we had decided to go to Sea World (London Aquarium).

Entering a dark corridor, I was wondering how this would be like but looking at the very first glass (magnifying) containing a starfish, I realized that this won't be bad. As we moved down the corridors, we saw hundreds of varieties of sea creatures - starfish, pacu, anemones, rays (they were amazing!!!), sharks, sea turtles, clown fish, sea snakes, crabs, sea horses, shrimps, and many more.
Fish of all different colour combinations possible and of course, all sizes were there. I had never seen a ray in my life, but it was great to see rays in an open pool where they were floating and moving everywhere. Their teeth at times, would twist in such a manner, as if smiling at you. Then there was a huge area containing 2 sea turtles, different kinds of tiny fish, large-sized rays and lots of sharks. Sharks of different types - brown shark, zebra shark, etc and they all had 2 very distinctive features - their scary jaws and their khoonkhaar expressions :P
Then we got a chance to touch a star fish. Orange in colour, it was very soft with a surface quite rugged to touch, but it was a very different experience. The section of tropical rain forests contained different types of sea horses and sea turtles. Poisonous frogs with skins of colours yellow & purple were kept in a separate cage. 'Bachpan mein jab frog ko green ki jagah koi aur colour ka kar do, to teacher anda deti thi', exclaimed Bhabhi.
Altogether, it was an experience of a lifetime, a great day. Highlights were seeing Mom become a little kid, full of excitement and of course, the moment when she was pointing to a fish over an open tank when the chewing gum in her mouth dropped and a fish quickly came and ate it up!
Thereafter, we munched a bit at McDonald's next to London Eye while feeding the left over French fries to the pigeons in this area. Yes, the pigeons in London eat French fries!

After London aquarium, we took a turn towards Big Ben and took a bus to Leicester Square where we had Belgian waffles and awesome ice-cream at Haagen-Dazs. And then to Piccadilly again, clicking more pictures, this time while standing atop the Piccadilly statue. Uske baad, tube pakdi and reached Westminster where we clicked pictures around Big Ben and London Eye again, this time after dark. After this, we took the tube to the Tower of London. Cutting through the side of the Tower Museum, we reached the Tower Bridge (commonly known as London Bridge by all those who've never seen London). Walking on the Tower Bridge, we experienced thandi hawa ke zabardast jhonke. And then, another big red bus and we were back to Liverpool Street.

Mausam ka haal - As the past 2 days, sunny during the day and very windy after the dark

Travel || UK Trip - Day 2 - Sunday, Apr 24

Plan is to take a train (not tube) to Brighton and visit the beach there.

Bhaiya and I got ready first and took a walk to London Bridge. The bridge which is generally referred to as the London Bridge with big towers is actually the Tower Bridge. London Bridge, on the other hand, is quite simple and gives a beautiful view of the Tower Bridge, HMS Belfast and of course, the river Thames.

Amongst a decent crowd and quite a bit of confusion, we finally managed to get our tickets and board our train to Brighton. Walking downhill from the Brighton station, Bhaiya showed me the difference between a small town and a big city (like London) of UK. After all the chit-chat, we reached the Brighton beach which is a pebble beach. There we laid our sheet & bags and got in the water which was veryyyy cold. What followed was masti in water, eating coleslaw sandwiches and lying down & relaxing in the sun with lots of gupshup. Then bhabhi and I went out for a walk and did a bit of window shopping (so typical of girls, I know).

Phir kha-peeke aur paani mein khoob saare pathhar maarke, we went to Brighton Pier. There bhabhi and I played a few games and then went on a roller coaster ride and mind u, this ride was special because it was my first!

We left Brighton beach and wandered around the county to see more beautiful and peaceful sights. And then, back on train and back to London.

Missing highlight - my first trip in the UK's Red double-decker bus.

Mausam ka haal - Very sunny and of course, very windy after dark (btw, sun sets after 8pm UK time)

Travel || UK Trip - Day 1 - Saturday, Apr 23

Loads of walking ...

From Liverpool Street to Westminster Station, the first thing witnessed after popping out was Big Ben. Sorry, The Big Ben. Round the corner, saw the first glimpse of London Eye and of course, River Thames ... London ki Ganga!
Took left from Big Ben and saw Westminster Abbey (on the right) and Houses of Parliament (on the left). Looking at the huge size of the buildings, one can see the attitude of the people who ruled the world. The architecture is impressive but is not famous because Roman architecture beats it (heard from Bhaiya). Anyhow, the buildings are tall and sturdy. For a snapshot, one can imagine a building roughly 8 times the size of the Statesman House with carvings like Akshardham Temple. And this sized building would just make the border of the Houses of Parliament.
Next we went to St James' Park, a park linking Westminster area to Buckingham Palace in a green way. Special feature - very unlike any Indian park, people here were free, in terms of behaviour, clothes and of course, attitude. As it was Easter Saturday, lot of people had a chhutti and were out with their families for a picnic. More importantly, with a 4 day chhutti (Easter) there were lots of tourists coming in. So we weren't alone :P
Cutting towards Buckingham Palace, saw the flowers that have been grown for the Royal Wedding and how the press is planning their bunkers. Saw a change of guards of black guards, not the royal (red) ones, saw them though.
Walk to Trafalgar Square where a concert for St George's Day was on. With National Gallery on the left, was in the midst of a huge crowd and lots of dhoop. The weather was like a fairly hot April day, with a disclaimer from bhai-bhabhi 'isse zyada garmi yahan nahin hoti'.
Cut to Leicester Square where for the first time in my life, I ate at a joint called Burger King. Ma was pretty tired but the spirit was high. And then, slowly, but steadily, we moved towards the Piccadilly Circus.
Phir train pakdi aur thak-tootke ghar aa gaye.

Early to bed and early to rise coz Sunday is the day to Brighton beach! :-)

Travel || UK Trip - Day 0

Finally, I've managed to start penning this one down.

Day 0 - In flight (Air India)

The day started with lots and lots of last minute checks. Reason? Haven't had a vacation in the past one year. Hence, haven't locked the house. So lots of checks.
Cab ride to airport involved phone calls and discussions about them.
Terminal 3 of IGI Airport was like a shopping mall, reminded me of Select Citywalk, Saket. All international brands were available, all priced in USD. Saw lot of men eyeing duty-free alcohol and women eyeing duty-free cosmetics. Anyhow, they were more expensive in comparison to prices abroad.
Ghoom-phirke, settled down on a couch and had Matar ka parantha with mom, followed by a coffee (CCD). The walkway at airport was used for fun, as if we both were 5 year old kids.
Also clicked lots of pictures in the airport lounge - Ma's Buddha style and of course, pictures with statues of Surya, the Sun God (created by Satish Gupta).

Air India served us lunch at 4pm IST where, for the first time in my life, Continental food tasted better than Indian vegetarian. Saat wala takloo peeke talli ho gaya aur Ma & I couldn't sleep. Finally, after listening to Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma's Raag Hansadhwani and half Crocin did I manage to get a nap of 5 mins but with Ma, no luck!
Anyhow, at the end of it all, I saw Aakrosh, Anjana Anjani and half of Robot .. films that I couldn't get a chance to watch otherwise. Ma saw 3 Idiots, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (for the first time) and part of Chachi 420 (1st time, of course).
Then, we were served tea and sandwich at 9pm IST and Ma and I had weird expressions coz our body clocks were badly stuck!

Bachpan mein geography mein jitni cheezein padi thi - mountains, valleys, deserts, gorges, river, tributaries/ distributaries, etc woh saari mujhe upar se dikh gayi. Contours dekhne ke liye kitni upar jaake baithna pada .. Batao! :P

Anyway, the flight was fine. Reached London Heathrow and met bhai-bhabhi. From Zone 6 to Zone 1 aka from Heathrow to Liverpool Street, travelled in the Tube and witnessed the origin of Delhi Metro :P
On reaching home, bhabhi treated us to a variety of delectable food - dal makhani, matar mushroom, etc. Tummy full karke, so gaye, with a plan in mind ki subah jaldi uthke ghoomne jaana hai. Weather was ok, Feb-Mar like pleasant but thandi hawa after dark. Huhoohoo...

Random || Highlights of the day

Highlights of the day:
1. Life @ IITD - Zindagi jhand hai phir bhi ghamand hai
2. Single < Its complicated < Committed in terms of 'life mein fight' and Single > Its complicated > Committed in terms of 'life mein freedom'.
3. Bhai ko buri nazar se nahin dekhte :D :D :D
4. "Jab main chhota tha tab mujhe kitaabon se atyant prem tha. Kuchh ho jaata tha kitaab ko matlab phat jaati thi types to main rota tha, khana nahin khata tha .. Jaisa aajkal log bandiyon ke liye karte hain".
Yeh waala to killer tha :D