OASIS 2K8... a psentisemite's review

I guess its time for some reviewing. OASIS '08 has been the most enjoyable OASIS for me yet. The reason I will place it above last year's, is not because I didn't have fun then. It was one of the best experiences of my life. But it was a totally different kind of fun, one that many of you will be unable to really appreciate.

So what made it so enjoyable? The whole feel was great. Now ORC aaj raat hai, so let the pros do the criticising, I'll just do the good parts.

The Alumni Band was brilliant. The name itself, 'Not Yet Over The Hill' brought in so many expectations. I guess it was this that really marked the beginning of OASIS. Brilliant enthu, people in their 50s coming back to their alma mater, and doing what they do best, entertain. True BITSian spirit. 'Girl from the Western Coast', our anthem from yesteryear lost in the annals of the 80s and 90s was passed on to us. Lets just hope some of us have that much life inside of us, when we're that age.

Being in Psenti-sem has many advantages, the best being, not caring about delays and screw-ups. So you can enjoy it all, without cribbing and complaining. I attended majorly the Audi events, street plays, Dance workshop a couple of times('twas more fun that I imagined..) Especially the girl teaching, Neil. I made so many mistakes hoping she'd come to correct me but saala woh uska boyfriend hi aata tha :(

The biggest problem was of sleep. There is just that amount of control, I have over my sleep. So had to walk out of good performances to somehow scramble to my room and rest my eyes.

Then of course, Choreo, Razzmatazz, Tarang, Fusion. Every one of them brilliant. A special mention of KK. Totally above my expectations!! What energy yaar, he was like red bull on steriods! I don't think I've ever danced with such silliness in my life. Lounge Piranha too was great, I must commend their stage deco. They had some very simple moving images, of train and fields and fishes, projected mirrorred on stage from the centre. Totally psychedelic!

I was totally determined to headbang for rocktaves, but saala so gayaa. Its unbelieveable. I have slept through so many rock, metal and all those types of performances, that I think I have a problem. I've slept really really clost to the speakers also. I guess above a certain threshold, it sound like a lullaby to my brain.

Waise the greenery/hariyali doesn't need to be remarked upon. I guess most of us can just close our eyes and images come flooding back :) . Very satisfactory!

Lastly I need to mention the company that actually made this Oasis the most special. PCr both psentisemites and juniors, Chussi's brothers and Bharath.

Chussi had invited his brother and his roomie in MBBS from Nagpur for Oasis. They were ammazing company, had a lot of fun with them and being doctors how could we resist asking questions? :P

Bharath is an alumnus, who we out of a stroke of good luck, could accomodate on campus. I can never forget the session we had, where we recounted so many of our experiences. He passed out in '93, but it was like talking to a batchmate. We introduced him to a few BITSian traditions and he reminded us of a few too. The experience was like gazing into a crystal ball for us, we saw ourselves in our future. Still very much BITSians.

Thank you all for a wonderful wonderful time. Can never forget it!

In continuation

You know what? I just realised that blogging is difficult, seriously. I mean, if you're just another blogger its okay. But with a blog as popular as mine, as seen from the VIZCOUNT thingy to the right, (the code gives the count in multiples of 10*) the expectations rise and you're under so much pressure to improve, and blog better. Whew! But you guys are lucky ki main bhaav nahin khaata, and I love all my fans.

Alright, so the trip. The trip to the Goa Campus was not very eventful. Except for the fact that I was expecting a little family get-together typish lunch, but I was met with a cluster of over 50 Goa BITSians, (our brothers from another mother (winners of the OASIS championship)), some of whom when told by Raman sir that Mr. Arjun Kamath is coming, thought that I was some balding, wrinkling, stripe shirted Physics professor, and greeted me with a confused look "Where is you father, Mr. Arjun Kamath", totally confused when I explained to them that I was a Goan Board topper, from Pilani campus, currently studying there, ex-Gen Sec, not in PS-2 (this one took a while), coming home for Diwali without telling my parents, who met their Director at the airport and was invited for lunch. I wonder why all this was difficult to digest?

There wasn't much that happenned the rest of the time. You see, my friends there aren't like us. They study and do reports two days before the deadline. A shame, that they still haven't learnt to manage their time.

So for the last day, decided to get a tattoo, just for fun. Only one guy, Rohan, a dear friend from 5th std, came along. We shared the enthu of getting our skins embellished by a symbol, as a statement of our sentient humanness, to shout out to the world that we will not conform to the arbitrary rules of an intolerant society, that we are different, we don't care about what we look like, and are happy and satisfied just as God has made us. Simply put to look(rather to feel like we looked) cool!Its a chinese symbol, that means "The Ultimate" or "The highest point". Its on my right shoulder blade, I mean the muscle covering it. :)

So that basically covers the Goa trip. Overall very very enjoyable, great memories. There was this one incident that happenned on the flight back to Delhi, that is more memorable because of the where it was done rather than that what. It gave me a great sense of accomplishment, my wingies too gave me a pat on the back. But because of the wider audience of the blog, it would be inappropriate to reveal it here. So just be happy for me.

So long and thanks again. I love all you fans.

*HAHA, joking. Actually its multiples of 9

PS: A note to bloggers using ScribeFire to blog on Mozilla. It's good,but beware, save regularly. I had to write this post twice.

Eventful trip home

After the terrific surprise to my parents, the homemade delicacies, burning down of demons, a trip to BITS-Goa campus and other stuff, I believe I should continue posting on the eventful trip. We last saw me leaving for Delhi to catch a flight home. So I continue from thereon.

We all awoke at around 7am, well just me, everyone else was awake and staring at me. I had a brilliant sleep at the back of the Tavera, my favourite place to sleep, unless there's too much luggage. I awoke to the beauty that is Delhi, not to say that the city is very beautiful, just the other-side-greener-grass theory. The vibrancy of the place cheers me up, everybody is in a hurry. Pilani is always sleepy, or rather in Pilani I always am. Delhi is nice, and our hangout is C'not. What did we do there so early.. buffet breakfast @ Nirula's. Those who've been there, done that are probably licking ther lips and feeling their wallets. Those who haven't can talk to the former, and feel the envy.

Now the driver was in a weird sort of hurry, a hurry that defied most bounds of logic. Since most of us have been through a hurried group being driven by an even more hurried driver, I will go straight through to the airport. I'm sure I looked like a terrorist there, with a weird haircut, unbrushed, unshaven and unbathed for a week and 4 days respectively(c'mon guys, 'twas OASIS). Having arrived 2 hours early I went about everything coolly. As I was punching in my cabin luggage in the overhead compartment, I heard a voice calling out my name. Looking back I saw Meenakshi Raman ma'm and her daughter Priya smiling. What a coincidence, huh? Now you know how difficult it is to have a conversation when the plane is about to take-off, so I just smiled back, Hello'd and got to my seat.

The plane was not overly booked. It was filled with many foreigners. Foreigners..leaving for Goa. Hmmm I wonder why? :)

I don't like moving about the plane much, I was tired, and there was a couple aheard of me, doing what couples do( making giggling noises and ignoring everybody else) so I just went to sleep.

I woke only to brilliant night lights below. I love to look down from the window and revel at man's creation. The streetlights, headlights and all the other lights glimmer and glitter like a diamond neclace. It's like the sky is both above and below you, but it's the one below that captivates you, because its so alive. So many colours, some moving curiously, some strong and extra-bright, some twinkling childishly, and some just standing and waiting. The sight makes you forget all else and just take in the view.

Once we landed, I met them at the luggage conveyor belt, and told them in detail about the vagaries of my trip. I best thing about doing something unorthodox and unnatural as the look on people's face when you tell them what you've done. It's very satisfying, and gives up a very false athough realistic sense of achievement. Damn cool.

Now of course, they asked about my whereabouts. And of course, I told that I had to catch a couple of buses to home, and of course, they invited me to come along to be dropped at the nearer bus stop. So basically as it turns out, K E Raman, sir, picks me up from the airport, and later invites me to the campus for a get together, held as celebration of BITS-Goa's winning of OASIS championship. very nice turn of events, what say?

Again it doesn't end here, there's half a post worth of material, so I'll make a short post later. Abhi sona hai. bbye..