2005 - RIP

As we crawl towards the end of what can be termed as an 'eventful, if not tragic' year, I'm not in one of those nostalgic moods that I often get into when looking backwards. This calendar year has been seen me in all sorts of places; from the extreme highs of DMH to the expected and unsurprising lows of the Univ's torture.

But if I am to look back on 2005, there wouldn't be too many personal events filling the chart. 13 Feb and 10 Aug would of course be there, but a large proportion of the rest would be world events. Bullet points to make it easier:

• The tsunami. This doesn't of course fit within 2005, but I reckon it needs a mention on this blog. I was on a ship approximately 50 km from the Cochin port when it hit. We didn't feel it on board (tsunamis are always only felt on the coastline) nor did we realise that it was more than just another strong earthquake until we got back to shore and checked the news again. 26 Dec will always remain one of the defining moments of our generation and it's a pity I didn't have the time to do anything about it.
  
• DMH. The reason I couldn't do anything for the tsunami victims. No regrets though. International, Ram Jethmalani, Sujata Manohar, SM Krishna. Me happy.
• London (again). No Wimbledon, but a far better trip all in all. Me happy.
• 7 July. Welcome to the real world, London. Mr. Blair finally realised how perilous it is to support anti-terrorism, Bush ishtyle.
• 26 July. Soaked, soggy, stinky and mad pissed about it - Bombay'ites go for a long swim that lasted 3 days for some.
• 10 Aug. No comments.
• Something in College. (Confidential - sorry, can't write about it.)
• 21 Sep. My first performance with a guitar in my hand. Not very different from the many without, but a decent start.
  
• Hurricane Katrina. The Americans are introduced to the true meaning of a natural disaster where (believe it or not, Mr. Bush) people actually die. The documentaries have already started rolling. The one thing I couldn't understand was troops deployed to ensure that there was no looting of shops etc. People were being shot dead for stealing. PRIORITIES GUYS...PLEASE.
  
• 8 October. Kashmir earthquake. As if that place didn't have enough problems already. 100,000 plus Pakistanis dead and more still dying. Only 10 -15,000 Indians dead. But does it matter where they're from?
  
• 29 October. Blasts in Delhi. Carnage. Life back to normal in a day. London was surprisingly similar, though a lot more shocked.
  
• Exams and the Mumbai Univ. Comments on this can't be displayed without the help of much censoring. So, I shall simply refrain.
• Hong Kong - Great place. Good time, a bit short though. (long enough to do requisite shopping)
• December. Another Kashmir earthquake. Can't remember the date. Was in HK. This one was for all those whose houses didn't fall in the first one. The bright side of this one - not too many dead, because 80% of the population were living in tents already. Remember, earthquakes don't kill people - buildings falling on them do.

That's the best I can do. Anything I missed, you're welcome to remind me.

'Since we had nothing to do with our Arrival and usually are not consulted about our Departutre, what makes so many of us think we're entitled to so much while we're here?'

- Malcolm Forbes