T and the super 'venturesome weekend

I do believe the crux of my super 'venturous life is transport.

Let us begin with a little introduction. We were to have our final submission in Planning on Saturday, viz. 27 May 2006. Our lecturer (who is an extremely hard-working lady who expects a lot of work; which my class, being my class, never manages to come up with) wanted the following things:
* all the old sheets, comprising the slum studies; in both maps (location map, plot coverage, land use, social infrastructure etc) and charts (family income, sex ratio, age division etc)
* a proposal for the upliftment of our slum; in plans, sections and elevations. sketches optional.

The planning submission is done in groups. There are two batches which the class proper is divided into; one being under our lecturer and the other under another lecturer (wish I could have done something about the framing of that sentence, but eh meh) In our half of the class, we've been separated (notice how I avoid all names, now) into five groups, each of four or five people. Except ours, which is six girls. Let's call them A, B, C, D, E, T. T is me, in case you were wondering.

Well, anyway. The deal was that I would go over to A's house on Thursday. I conveniently forgot, and hence offered to go over early Friday morning. We had a design review scheduled that day for the first half of the class, which included C and E, so they wouldn't be back till late. A was to go out of town later on Friday to attend a wedding in her village. We were thus supposed to finish all work by Friday evening. Didn't happen. I left the house at six forty five, promptly got stuck behind a long line of HAL and Pushpak buses, and ended up taking half an hour for a usually ten-minute journey. We did a little work, discovered it was ten o' clock, decided to move to C and D's place, because they had two computeres we could work on. Naturally, we didn't leave until eleven.

We then shifted house (that is, D, B and I, T) to Banashankari. To show off my driving prowess, I proceeded to first miss the turn they had pointed out to me, then run slam bang into oncoming traffic (which was, by the grace of God, at a stop signal) when I turned into a one-way the wrong way on an attempt to get back to the right road, then execute some extra special deadly maneuvers, almost get lost, travel in a jolly circle, and then get stuck in bone-jarringly aggravating traffic. blah blah did work through the night in shifts, went out for icecream, yelled at people, walked in the rain in umbrellas, shawls, jackets and a skirt (that was me, yes i wore a skirt, my friends said i looked nice, so there.)

The next morning, C and I went out to print the first set of sheets. I dropped her off, went to fill petrol, got a little lost, cursed like a bargee, and finally got to the petrol pump where the attendant procceded to flirt with me *sigh*. Once printed, we got back to discover that the work on the next set of sheets was still not done. I promptly went into cranky high-strung snappy mode and barked at everyone, while they kept telling me to chill (one thing that all the others have that I lack, by the way, is an utter disregard for punctuality. so frustrating!) I then spent my time wisely; by fixing up plans to meet someone for a movie, messaging this new friend I'd made on orkut, daydreaming, etc. To make a long story short, I managed to chivvy them enough so that we were only an hour late instead of two.

Anyhoooo. After a lukewarm review, I left college. Called V and told her I'd meet her at Barista again. Then two of my classmates wanted rides. Luckily for me, it turned out to be a day when I was to have my fortitude stretched to breaking point. We got stuck in the mother of all traffic jams on Mysore Road, and I had to painfully inch my way upslope while having to endure the two girls in the car. Even the memory makes me cringe. I tried hinting, suggesting, asking outright, even snapping; and they still wouldn't shut up!!!!! Dahlins please. when someone can't handle up-slope in her 14-year-old Maruti, please be so kind as to defer discussions till later.

I reached M.G. Road at four, after an hour and a half of torture. Then more torture finding a place to park, followed by some mad attempts at parallel parking (someone needs to effing teach me 'ow to effing parallel park) and ignoring old men in parking lots.

Met my friend and a friend, and suddenly I was happy. We made a last minute plan (and I love those. I love last-minute-unexpected-sudden-death-lets-do-sumpn-crazy-right-now kind of plans), I made a call, and suddenly we were off!!!! I drove to Malleshwaram while we all sang in the car. I was happy, happy, happy!!!!!!!! Which also, incidentally, means uber crazy energizer bunny kind of exuberant. I haven't felt that way in a long time. Witness the excessive use of !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love how my days always switch and change on me without the slightest hint :)

We then proceeded to another friend's house, where I was my crazy bunny self till they challenged me to stay silent. They begged me to speak after a mere minute :O What joy to be wooed, darling. Simple joys of life are the most special.

Then back to her house, a walk in the nighttime, a smoke and a CD store. I love night walks. Around home it's not safe any longer... *heap big sigh* I need a watchdog.

I woke up at seven this morning. I left her house at ten thirty. What can I say? I was writing letters.
I know not the way, quoth I.
hmm. do you know the way from windsor manor? how about mount carmel? cunningham road? she said. ok why don't you blah blah then just go on straight blah blah you don't really have a choice it'll take you straight to M.G. road blah the end.
Yes, I said.
I furnished myself with a map. It was not to scale. Then I put the map in the bag and got in the car. The car started without much trouble. The choke is my friend. I proceeded straight. I missed the right I was supposed to take, ended up at a dead end and was forced to go left. I then executed a circle and arrived at the point of distraction. Went straight. Reached a major intersection and went left. Then tried to find the map. It was not in my bag. Had a brief moment of panic where I thought I'd left it at her house. Then bethought myself (help. i don't know the construction and i'm too lazy to check it. free juicy fruit chewing gum to them as sets it right.) of the other bag containing the clothes. Ta-da! There was the map. Turns out that I needed to have gone straight and not left. So I took the next right. Took some snaps through the dirty windshield. Almost hit a scooter. Just kept going and going. Felt that little thrill of excitement I used to get at the beginning of adventures. Suddenly found I was at Mekhri circle. Followed random vehicles for awhile. Left, right, right, left, straight. la la la la la.
Suddenly I was near Windsor Manor. I know this place, I cried. How do I go from here? No idea, I sang out. I followed some more vehicles.
Saw an empty road and thought it was a one-way. Ended up with a new NDE to add to my set when a slew of vehicles hove directly into my path and I swerved crazily in front of some tanker type thing. I reached a crossroad with three options. I really really wanted to go left. I'm not sure why. I just really did. But then I went straight. All of a sudden, bang boom - huge circle and too many choices!!!! Before I could scream with frustration, I realized that I had unwittingly reached Ulsoor Lake. How uber cool is that. The universe loves me.

I love the universe.


Some pictures, just because:






terraces at nighttime. wish i'd had a couple of special people up there with me.

Windshield picture!!!! Actually came out looking not bad.








p.s. i don't smoke. y'all know all about that.
p.s.s. if i'd gotten to shivajinagar, someone would've totally gotten eggs. dang.