Driftwood Life

Googly eyes

Mr. Banerjee — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 19:30:57 +0000

Needs to be stopped. I’m told I’m the bigger culprit but it goes both ways. Which is a relief. If I had a dollar for the phrase “start dating that girl already” I’ve heard from the gang over the past month, I would be a rich man by now. I feel like I’m back in high school days. Not a bad thing at all.

Filed under: journal, women

The curtain falls

Mr. Banerjee — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 21:13:21 +0000

Just like that. Even before I crossed the Atlantic for the first time I knew it would happen like this. Right down to the time and the way of delivery. Premonition, or vision, I can’t tell the difference. One thing I know that you will be missed very very very very badly the next time I enter your bedroom. I am glad you had a good life with your family all around you. Few in India, even among the privileged, go on to live well into their eighties. It’s funny that I didn’t cry hearing the news. I didn’t envision that I would. But I ended up crying anyway listening to the saddest story I have ever heard in my entire life at wee hours in the morning. It’s been a long, long time I have had exercised my lachrymal glands but today was it. I digress. Rest in peace, Didu.

Filed under: Catharsis, journal

Seriously?

Mr. Banerjee — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 00:10:08 +0000

How can you even play coy, far less refuse to come to on an epic trip like that? D just cracks me up. Things have changed. We have a clearer picture of who’s coming and who’s not. The magic number is 7. We already have Abhi, Brandon, Jale, Trice and me, of course. Harrison may be on the boat. The Rapunzel is pissed off and wants to go her own way, and drive. Looks like I’ll see her the last time this June, in one piece at the very least. This is coming up to be bigtime epic! Did I say “epic”?

Filed under: journal, Travel

Redux

Mr. Banerjee — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:08:26 +0000

And the planning starts from this week for the Back-to-Ladakh trip. It’s going to be epic! Oh yes sir, it will be. Ladakh here we come. Less than 8 months to go. This time, I will make amends to the lack of flexibility we had last year. I hope this time another Kansas City Shuffle won’t be necessary. Fingers crossed fo folks so they make it. Passionate people, check. Fun quotient, check check. Non-obnoxious, collegial ladies and gentlemen, triple check. Of all the people I seriously hope D and the Rapunzel makes it. Abhi and TG looks like a done deal. USC and YG would be cherry on top. Or if it comes to worse and I have to do it alone, so be it.

Filed under: Anticipations, Travel

Nostalgia

Mr. Banerjee — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 21:04:49 +0000

Or something else? I have debated time and time again to no particular success. Maybe it’s the historic and beautiful campus; or maybe it’s my repressed psychological longing to get back to my inter-school rivalry days by cheering for the football team at Scott Stadium again, singing the good ol’ song to the tunes of Auld Lang Syne every time the Cavaliers score points in a perfect Fall afternoon. Maybe it’s the brand name that comes with the Politics department and the university.Well, for sure I’m happy as a smug bug where I am and academically in terms of South Asian Politics UVA does not have any comparative advantage to GSU that I need to try for a transfer back to UVA. As they, the grass is greener on the other side or so it seems to the observer.

Or maybe, just maybe, it’s just that I want to spend time with a certain someone. Silly, I know. Irrational, more so. The matters of the heart are a mystery even to the Wise.

Filed under: Academics, Introspection

Spark

Mr. Banerjee — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 06:23:41 +0000

I think I should blog more happen. Perhaps that’s the way to stave off the writer’s block and finish two-and-a-half course papers and do a slam dunk on the journal paper. Short, succinct thingpieces. Just enough to stave off ennui and the itching urge to check out facebook. Productivity is the need of the hour. As someone said two falls back, there’s no respite before tenure. it’s going to be a long, tough road and that’s exactly the beauty of it.

On a different note, I feel bad about deleting the old blogger blog. I don’t even have them ol’ posts backed up. Too much outrageous sophomoric stuff back there. But still, seller’s remorse if there’s any such thing.

Note to self: must finish the Ladakh travelogue. Next summer’s back to Ladakh trip is 8 months away and I haven’t been able to finish past year’s travelogue. It’s shameful. Blah.

Filed under: journal

Memento

Mr. Banerjee — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 08:39:21 +0000

I wish you did not give up dancing. I never saw you professionally dance but I believe you’re the most talented young classical dancer India never had. It’s not flattery. This is what I believe. I have spoken.

By the way, why does every girl in this photo except you seem like a huge bitch? Especially J in the left middle? What’s with dancers tending to be refined bitches anyway?

Filed under: People, women Tagged: gokhale memorial girls school

September 28, 2001

Mr. Banerjee — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 02:54:43 +0000

Take me back. Someone, anyone.

Filed under: Nostalgia

Mr. Banerjee — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 08:00:03 +0000

Why should I look back when a new era has already begun with new hopes and promises? No, I will not go back the past no matter how much your impulsive teen self want me to be. But we shall still sing to the tunes of Ben E. King’s Stand By Me.

Filed under: confessions

Promises and Disappointments

Mr. Banerjee — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 20:53:28 +0000

I heard the most extraordinary love story the other day, straight out of the movies. Like a lot of love stories, the promise of the beginning never quite matched up to the hopes and expectations of everyday life. The farther the distance between the promises made and promises kept, greater the disappointment. My life is a series of disappointments. But as i wrote in my Higher Secondary english exam essay and i don’t know why i remember this, “life is a series of series of disappointments and failures and the only way to be a success in life is not to lose hope and never ever give up.” Been six years since then though it seems longer. We all need to move on. As I have moved on from you. I thought it would take longer but surprisingly it only took two months and I have never felt better.

That’s the best we could do in this mortal life. Never lose hope. Never give up. if you give up you would be doing a dis-service to yourself. But that was quite a love story of cosmic coincidences, purple passion, long distance love and heartbreaking disappointments. I haven’t heard anything like it before. If only i were an amazing novelist a la Michael Ondaatje. But i do have a song that defines the tale. There’s always a Death Cab song that suits well to any given tale. Did I mention Transatlanticism is probably one of the awesomest songs written in the last decade? To think I went to India and missed the death Cab concert in Philly last month. Somebody, please shoot me.

Filed under: Introspection, Phone talk