Learning life skills is the new item on menu and I am all raring to go. Forget the noodles, roast and the occasional helping out in kitchen; I am really pathetic when it comes to cooking. If I myself didn’t know that till now, well yesterday was a day of reckoning.

I finally got the go ahead to do a fish fry. Confidence was brimming since I got loads of experience in the frying part from previous helping. But this time around it was different. The finer points of cooking skills, like cleaning, cutting and masala mixing was also tested. The one word that could describe the whole process is ' Frightening'. The fish looked like it came straight from a post-mortem after the cleaning. Well that is how my brother described it anyway. After the marinating part, one could attribute it to a “cover up job of a murder victim gone astray”. I hoped the looks wouldn’t hamper the taste as much as the appetite. But that was not to be so. The masala didn’t set properly in the meat and finally we had to eat some raw pieces of garbled fish that would have put even prehistoric man to shame.

Never to give up that easily, today was the turn of chicken. The pieces were already cut properly by the butcher. So one job less to mess up. My mom having finally learned a painful lesson not to pin too much hope on me gave a hands on teaching of how to do 'broasted chicken'. The marinating, the mixing and the frying went pretty well. I even got ingredients right. I may have over fried a couple of pieces but guess what - not only was the whole stuff tasty, but it was also my first successful endeavour in the kitchen. One more thing to brag about in the blog. Chao :)

A tinge of sorrow, lots of happiness and memories that maketh life. This is how I am gonna step down from Bethany Student Centre - My home for the last two years. This will be the last blog from my dear hostel. Funny!! Thinking how the next post will divide blog into a pie. The larger part comprising of the musings of a Bethanian and the smaller of an ex-bethanian. In time the pie will change its mix i.e. If I continue blogging. But I hope the memories in this place wont disappear as easily as the shrinking part of the pie.

The whole 'home' trotting started right after from entrance exam. My mother realized enough is enough and proposed to move into the city. After all nothing should stand in the way of a repeater to reach into the halls of some reputed college. A massive place but with no ambiance, is how I describe our first attempt at city life. I was amazed at how easily my mom adapted to this new life while I spent half the time grumbling about - well basically everything in life. 2 months later - It was goodbye to our house and my repeat course in Zephyr as I finally joined MBCET as a Mechanical engineer. It is weird how to think how life would have been had I taken a different path.

The second so called house was as different as chalk and cheese when compared to first. A warmer house owner, very small rooms (well one hall, bedroom and a kitchen for the three of us - There is no question of space thats for sure), wonderful ambiance and two totally different personalities. I found the life very refreshing especially since Mech class was wonderful. Not quite the same for my mother who had to take 3 buses to reach her place of work. The grind followed and off we packed our bags again. At this point of time, me and my brother had become excellent at packing and moving - Another life skill learnt.

The 3rd move was to be the end of the 3 musketeers - at least for some time. My mother went abroad to live with my father. Bro packed his bags and went off to Infosys and I was left off at the only alternative to the whole situation - College Hostel. It need not be said that I hated it there - It got little to do with my hostel mates and everything to do with the college. To live or better - to 'survive' college is an arduous task enough. One that need constant support from all corners especially your friends. But to go through this charade and come back to a hell of different kind is too unbearable. Also for a person who respects his privacy beyond any measure - hostel life can be tough. I got very little from hostel except my room mate who turned out to be a wonderful friend. Finally enough was enough and I packed my bags again. A brief stint at home and off I was to my home away from home - Bethany Student Centre.

I recall how frightened I was at arriving here. Very different from my previous experiences and very different for a 3rd year too. In every manner this is the only place which I could call a home away from home. Here I made friends but was never expected to sacrifice my space. Here I respected people and was in turn respected by others. Here I worked my ass out for the different activities and finally got the satisfaction which was much needed. This is a wonderful place with so diverse characters that it is impossible not to experience a change in yourself. Your thoughts, your views, your principles, your actions. Everything changes. I still remember:

• 2 in the nite with a coffee cup in hand watching the Manutd Chelsea UEFA final. Nail-bitting finish. Countless such occasions shared with the ever present football communtiy at Bethany.
  
• 100 people glaring at the screen throwing obsenities at each other on the eve of the two IPL's.
• Sitting so many times in the raised platform after a match of football - just enjoying the site.
• Sleeping so late, waking so early, countless nite-outs. I still remember sleeping at 2 in the nite after decorating christmas tree nd waking at 4 to go to the market to buy fish for the feast.
• The wonderful mess we ( ME , JACOB and MANU) did which featured some exciting dishes - toasts on sundays, chilly chicken on mini-feast and biriyani on feast day.
• The card games between the awesome four (ME, JACOB, SALIM and SUBIN).
• The 2009 Lok sabha in front of TV with a heated discussion about politics between the engineers, doctors, IAS aspirants and the list goes on.
• Such diverse topics from politics, theology , bikes, technolgy, love, sex etc. (I really dont think there is any category we haven talked about)
• and (there is so much more) The final farewell (Abi chetan, Ambu, Rolly, Lee, Raghu, Salim, Jacob and me) where I totally felt ' This are the best days of my life' (Corny ..I know..but isnt so life??)

This is one place which I would miss to live and would love to live again.

My thoughts about putting such a blog has been flip - flop. Ofcourse, the prediction will not alter the result in any manner. Had it been, I wouldn't have choosen to do so either. Actually I kind of feel the same way during a fantasy premeir league match or the erstwhile superselector league. To take a shot in the dark and then wonder how close you are to the original. I have been so engrossed in this election for the past few months that I am starting to feel ashamed of the same. To such heights as to ask the question "Why waste your time". The so called battle of politks is so much against the spirit of the country that it wouldnt be surprising if there is another election within the next two years. All that - may be in another blog.

Here is my prediction for Lok Sabha Polls from Kerala.

UDF = 12
Ernakulam, Pathanamthita, Thrissur, Chalakudi, Wayanad, Ponnani, Malapuram, Mavelikara
Close call: Kottayam, Alapuzha, Trivandrum,

LDF = 8
Kasargod, Vadakara, Kannur, Alathoor, Palakkad
Close call: Kozhikode, Attingal, Kollam, Idukki

BJP = 0
But I expect them to do a good show in Trivadrum, Palakkad and Kasargod.

NCP = 0
Party crashers. Mureleedharan may turn out to be a dark horse in Wayanad. But maybe not tmmrw.

My constituency - Trivandrum

Too many under currents. BJP and BSP could split the votes in a major way. NCP factor is also present. All in all a tight race . I am taking a blind guess when I predict Shashi Tharoor to beat Ramachandran Nair. But either way the win margin is gonna be small.

A match like no other. It was not the quality of play that made this match memorable nor the context. It was that one single moment in the 93rd minute of the game when Inneista scored the winning goal for Barcelona. YEP!! I just saw the semi-finals of the UEFA champions league. Barcelone defeated Chelsea (1-1) on away goals. Another minute or so without a goal and Chelsea would have raced to the finals of the most coveted trophy in club football. But that was not to be so.

With all due sympathy for Chelsea, that moment was really beautiful. The game was really dominated by Chelsae. Barca never seemed like scoring, nd if my stats are right, I think the winning goal was the first shot on target too. But suddenly without even a faint warning, they scored. The 3/4th of the stadium clad in Blue, who were celebrating (from the 9th minute onwards) suddenly silenced. But even this pain is no comparison to the one felt by the coach nd players.

I still wonder. How do they take it?? I have never experienced something like this. To want something so much, to get it in yours hand's range and then to loose it in a single fleeting moment.

But then again like every time, they would rise up. After the break down, the silent thoughts, the pep talks nd the rising excitement, the same players would come to the field for another match. Maybe a prayer in thier mind that 'Not this time'.

My heart condolences to Chelsea in this great loss. Best of luck to Barca for the finals. (They would need it. They are gonna face Manchester United :) in the finals)