Friday, January 27, 2006

Fire!!

We had a fire yesterday, and it scorched internet hill, where our internet facilities are. However, we got our beaters and our denims and shirts and fought the fire from 11 to 2 in the afternoon. The fire spread for over 5 square kilometers, and it was on lots of flatland, mountainous terrain, as well as slush fields, making it really hard to control. We managed to put most of it out on the flatlands and slush-fields, but the mountainous terrain was really hard. We had to climb about 500 meters on a slippery, 30 degree incline, with the harsh sun beating down on us, and the fire popping up in the most inaccessible of places. As we reached the top, our beaters started to break, leaving us with many fighters, but not much equipment. As Havi(er) and I took our turns with the beaters to put out a small fire near his feet, the wind suddenly picked up, and the flames shot up to over 2 meters. Havi was close e to the fire, so he jumped to the other side. I, however, was a bit further into the ire, and had nowhere to go. So I turned and began to back out. Just then, the wind picked up even more, and I was caught in the middle of the flames. I threw my beater and ran for my life, with my hand on fire. I had, by now, breathed in an impressive amount of soot, and was barely able to breathe. As soon as I was out of the fire, Amiya came to help me recover, poured water over my hand and face, and generally looked over me to make sure I wasn’t in any major harm. She is so sweet...!! I walked down to the med, where I showered, and then the doctor treated my urns with ointment. As a result, I have a smooth right arm, and I have a little place on my head where my eyebrow and hair burnt themselves of. It looks really funny if you notice it... hehe... aside from that, things are ok, we saved internet hill, and now we have a 5 kilometer fire-wall 'protecting' us from future fires. This just means that we have no greenery to look at from campus outside... hehe... but that’s ok. Our internet is still up, no one is in any mortal peril, etc. etc. etc. things are good!!!


I love the fire service!!!

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Life. In General.

OK. This is either gonna be one helluva long post, or nothing at all, or I might give up midway. But here goes!!

OK, since I got back on campus, things ahve been all opver the place. It's been less than 2 weeks, and a cycle just got over, than I have had huge highs, and a lot of horse-latitude days, as well as these dark spots indicating my lows. The Latter, posted by out pricipal to most of us - some believe at random - to our parents had caused some serious upheaval at home. Man, the last day or two there was so much tension in the iar, to use a cliche, that you could cut it with a knife. I was pretty sure that the longer I stayed at home, the higher my chances of getting into some serious horse poo-poo. Luckily, I was leaving the day after The Letter. Which is a very, very good thing, in my mindm and in the minds of the other relatively non-extremist eople involved.
Then, when I got back on campus, things were really good. I met my friends, we went to Paud, and we were generally in high spirits (no pun intended). Then, over the course of a couple of days, things were fairly in the doldrums, and then, alluva sudden, our high flying hearts (and at times, bodies) momentum came to an abrupt standstill. And then I crashed. There were 2 days of utter agony, emotional upheaval, chaos, paranoia, and the fear that comes with a sense of being totally lost in a place very familiar to you. I still do not know how I passed time during those 2 days, except for a vague notion of twisting and turning around in my bed, fighting all the imaginary demons of my nightmares. All of a sudden, they froze, and suddenly melted into the soft yellow light falling through my window. I was non-pulsed. Then, a sudden wave of heart-warming joy filled my senses. I could see again. In an instant I had been transformed from a bedraggled slave to a sailor cruising the high seas.
Everyone suddenly appeared so cheerful and bright. Things were back to their usual euphoric high, and life was settling down. Then came the confrontation. I had had a quarrel with a friends of mine sometime back, and we had a bad breakup. However, she helped me sort it out, and we were back to being friends again over the course of Christmas. We left each other on a high note, and I called her for her birthday at home, and I couldn't wait to meet her when she got back. As the dayn arrived, I decorated her room with red and white balloons, and left her a present also in white, with a red card. Not that I know why I've written that detail. It seems most unnecessary. When she came back, however, things just seemed to ahve changed within a fraction of a millisecond. I met her, and she didn't look all that pleased to see me, acting quite stiff. This, unfortunately for me, was a sad state of occourance. I gave up on her after a minute, and she just walked away. Throughout the course of the week, however, I realiseed that it was only me going to make an effort to talk to her, be with her, do things for her, and it got to me. Physically as well as mentally, I got annoyed that I was the one putting in all my effort into what was turning out to be a seemingly pointless endeavour. So I decided to just not talk to her - after all, if she really wanted to be friends, she'd have to make some kind of effort as well. The miserable part about that, was the fact that I had no desire to NOT talk to her. After all, i9t was and (I hope) always will be a pleasure to talk to her. So I deflatedly gave up on that plan, and talked to her about it, getting a not so convincing answer. However, I also decided that I let my emotions take way too much control of me, and that I am not going to let them get in my way ever again.
After that, things got a lot better. Not just event wise,. but her and I have also been on good terms with each other, and its become almost entirely like the good times! Again, my social life is going all guns blazin', my academic life is commendable - not perfect, but commendable - and I seem to be taking care of my health, amongst all the other things that make up a happy lifestyle. I seem satisfied, with a huge parcel containing an impressive stash of munchies, pasta, chips, and other assorted foodstuffs, arriving a couple of days ago. I have given up bad habits that I had got into over here, and I am pleased with the pace of my life. Things are, good, and I thank my imaginary God for that. After all, what else is God for, other than to thank for every little thing that aids your survival?

We (NOTE: with no accurate references to anyone that can be identified) got some nice wine, and we're going to have a toast. "To ourselves. For the good life!!"