Day 5
So I was asleep as usual. Then Rumi (whom I had gone to visit in LA) woke me up. She asked me if I wanted to go to Marina Del-Ray with her because that was where her office and she had a meeting over there. I gave her some really sorry reason and promised her that I would wake up and have breakfast and lunch when she would be gone. Then she left. Next I remember, I was woken up by her kicks on my a$$. Next thing I realized was that I was dead hungry because it was like 4 in the evening.
She cooked me some food and as usual I hogged. So ended my fifth day in LA. Rumi swore that the next day we would go somewhere. And we went to sleep with this dream in our eyes.
She cooked me some food and as usual I hogged. So ended my fifth day in LA. Rumi swore that the next day we would go somewhere. And we went to sleep with this dream in our eyes.
Day 6
So we woke up with a goal. A goal to get out of the house for once. Then I checked my watch, and it was 2 in the afternoon!! But we wouldn't give up so easily. After getting something to eat, we decided to get dressed up. Our logic was that if we get dressed, we would be obliged to go somewhere. So we got dressed, go we did...to a grocery store (for all future reference, it is called the Ralphs) which is like a 5 minutes walk from where we put up (and yes, we did walk there). And then we got a lot of stuff, thinking we would get the free grocery shuttle to drop us to our place. But when we got out, it was 9.40 p.m. and the last grocery shuttle left at 9.30 p.m. So we had to walk back with all those stuff. I know the place wasn't so far away, but when you are walking with so much stuff, even half a mile seems like a whole damn trek.
Thus we got back from my first outing in LA all pissed off. But then my luck turned, and we were invited for dinner at some Rumi's friends' place. And there we met this whole bunch of people. Every one of them was an awesomely interesting character, and it was really really fun to meet them. And the food was also good. Even though I had just met them, it never felt like I didn't know them. But somehow they got the impression that I am this really nice quiet innocent guy!!! Don't ask how that happened, I keep asking myself that. And once I figure that out, I am sure that whenever I meet my parents, they would be immensely pleased.
Well the night didn't end with the dinner (I must thank Mandar and Punit for the really awesome food, lest I forget). There was this other friend who had a birthday. So we went over to his place at midnight to celebrate his birthday, cut a cake, and obviously, smear his face with that same cake. And then the night ended.
Thus we got back from my first outing in LA all pissed off. But then my luck turned, and we were invited for dinner at some Rumi's friends' place. And there we met this whole bunch of people. Every one of them was an awesomely interesting character, and it was really really fun to meet them. And the food was also good. Even though I had just met them, it never felt like I didn't know them. But somehow they got the impression that I am this really nice quiet innocent guy!!! Don't ask how that happened, I keep asking myself that. And once I figure that out, I am sure that whenever I meet my parents, they would be immensely pleased.
Well the night didn't end with the dinner (I must thank Mandar and Punit for the really awesome food, lest I forget). There was this other friend who had a birthday. So we went over to his place at midnight to celebrate his birthday, cut a cake, and obviously, smear his face with that same cake. And then the night ended.
Day 7
Seven is a lucky number, because this was the day I finally had a meaningful outing in LA. But it was one of the brightest hours of my intelligence (you'll know why soon enough). So on this day we got ready and went to the auspicious place called 1282 (it is the place where only Anu, Anisha, Anamika, and Megha lived, but everybody, and I mean everybody, hung out). We were greeted with a usual huge crowd of people. A plan was brewing - to go to the Santa Monica beach and bathe in the sea. So did we go. We reached the beach at 6 in the evening on a cold December day. And then we attempted to get in the water, and guess what - it was @$%#ing freezing. But we braved onwards and got completely wet. Well there is just this tiny little detail I must add - I was smart enough not to get myself a change of clothes nor a towel!!! So when we got bored of getting parts of our body parts numb from the freezing water, we decided to go to the Santa Monica pier.
But getting to the pier was a whole different story for me. Wet clothes, soaking with freezing water, cold wind from the Pacific hitting my body, walking down the whole length of the beach - I was praying to God every step of the way, promising him that if I survive this one, I would never ever be so dumb again. And I really really want to forget the whole thing up until the point I finally got to a GAP store and got myself a change of clothes.
After I finally got back to normal, we went around for sometime. Then we celebrated another birthday of another one of us. And after going around Santa Monica till 1 in the morning, we came back to have 'kheer' at a friend's place. And the 'kheer' was good :D. So on the whole, it was a great day, barring my stupendous stupidity.
But getting to the pier was a whole different story for me. Wet clothes, soaking with freezing water, cold wind from the Pacific hitting my body, walking down the whole length of the beach - I was praying to God every step of the way, promising him that if I survive this one, I would never ever be so dumb again. And I really really want to forget the whole thing up until the point I finally got to a GAP store and got myself a change of clothes.
After I finally got back to normal, we went around for sometime. Then we celebrated another birthday of another one of us. And after going around Santa Monica till 1 in the morning, we came back to have 'kheer' at a friend's place. And the 'kheer' was good :D. So on the whole, it was a great day, barring my stupendous stupidity.
Day 8
Having such a great day on my back, I wasn't gonna stop now. But unfortunately, the whole gang seemed so tired out for the previous day. But I had to go on. So we decided to compromise. So we went for a movie. And after enjoying the beautiful Christmas decoration and the really cool fountain dance at the Grove, we watched a crap of a movie called The Golden Compass.
I must agree my plan backfired, but at least all of us went out somewhere instead of rotting on our asses at home the whole day.
I must agree my plan backfired, but at least all of us went out somewhere instead of rotting on our asses at home the whole day.
Day 9
So came Sunday and Rumi decided to cook her awesome "chole" and call her friends over for lunch. After lunch, we just relaxed till the evening, when we finally decided to visit Hollywood Square. Frankly speaking, there is nothing much of interest of me over there, but it was damn crowded. After roaming around that place for sometime, we came back home and planned to watch a movie at 1282.
But that night, Rumi's friend (christened as "heroine" by Punit) was supposed to arrive, so we picked her up and went to 1282. And the moment I got there, I convinced everybody to watch the awesome movie called "Gunda". Thats a totally different issue that we stopped watching the movie within 5 minutes of its start :P.
But that night, Rumi's friend (christened as "heroine" by Punit) was supposed to arrive, so we picked her up and went to 1282. And the moment I got there, I convinced everybody to watch the awesome movie called "Gunda". Thats a totally different issue that we stopped watching the movie within 5 minutes of its start :P.
Day 10
Christmas Eve. We planned to do it right. The whole stage was set. We found ourselves a skating rink and a church. And the skating was simply AWESOME! I had no idea how to skate, but I never give up a chance to give up on something fun. And man it was fun! I must have fallen atleast couple of dozen times in a span of an hour, but I wouldn't give up. And my sole purpose seemed to seek out Kaushik in the crowd and crash into him. Trust me, skating is something you really should do atleast once in your life.
Once we were done with this, we roamed around a bit in Downtown LA (when it was pretty deserted). Then we went to a church to attend mass. After the mass, it was time to get home. But since it was Christmas, we couldn't get ourselves a cab. So started the hunt for the bus which goes to the place where we live. So you can imagine - 2 a.m., Downtown LA, completely deserted, not a soul in sight, a bunch of people running down the street when they caught sight of a bus standing around 5 blocks away. It was scary as it was out of the ordinary. Thank God that we had that bus, or we might have had to spend the night in Downtown LA on the streets.
Once we were done with this, we roamed around a bit in Downtown LA (when it was pretty deserted). Then we went to a church to attend mass. After the mass, it was time to get home. But since it was Christmas, we couldn't get ourselves a cab. So started the hunt for the bus which goes to the place where we live. So you can imagine - 2 a.m., Downtown LA, completely deserted, not a soul in sight, a bunch of people running down the street when they caught sight of a bus standing around 5 blocks away. It was scary as it was out of the ordinary. Thank God that we had that bus, or we might have had to spend the night in Downtown LA on the streets.
Day 11
Merry Christmas. We decided to go to Mexico. Well not really, but almost close to the border. We went to San Diego.
Enter Sea World. I was threatened all the way of being fed to the sharks, but apparently I survived. So we started with the Shamu show of the Orcas. And on another cold winter morning, we decided to sit in the splash zone without any cover. And the show was awesome, and the whales was very well trained to soak us wet. This resulted in all of us roaming around the rest of the day in wet clothes, and it sucked. But then all the shows were really great and we had a good time watching.
Once we were done with the sea world, we decided to go the Gaslamp district. We didn't find anything interesting there, except for an Indian restaurant where we dined, and a Ghiradelli store where we bought a lot of chocolates :D. So ended a really fun Christmas.
Enter Sea World. I was threatened all the way of being fed to the sharks, but apparently I survived. So we started with the Shamu show of the Orcas. And on another cold winter morning, we decided to sit in the splash zone without any cover. And the show was awesome, and the whales was very well trained to soak us wet. This resulted in all of us roaming around the rest of the day in wet clothes, and it sucked. But then all the shows were really great and we had a good time watching.
Once we were done with the sea world, we decided to go the Gaslamp district. We didn't find anything interesting there, except for an Indian restaurant where we dined, and a Ghiradelli store where we bought a lot of chocolates :D. So ended a really fun Christmas.
Day 12
After a trip to SD, we decided to take the day off and have a nice time inside with friends and hogging on good food. And so we did. And also watched a movie "Darjeeling Limited". And it didn't make any sense.
But around 12 in the night, we felt this sudden urge to go out somewhere. After going around google maps for sometime, we decided to go to Malibu. Luckily a friend of ours had a car, and so we drove down the legendary Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu. It was luckily a moonlit night and the Pacific looked awesome. But when we got to Malibu, we made this awesome revelation that the pier closes off in the night, and there was no open parking lot anywhere. We couldn't find a parking space so two of us got out of the car and started walking down the PCH looking for a spot. Just then a cop car crossed us, eying us suspiciously. That was kinda scary, but luckily we did get a parking spot.
Now that the car was taken care of, we started to look for a way to get to the beach. I tried to convince my friends to jump over the gates to the pier, but no one was in for it, so we had to ditch that plan. So after some exploration, and jumping over some rocks, we got to the Malibu beach. We hung around there for sometime, and then drove back home all satisfied :). After feeling good about ourselves and congratulating ourselves on the success of our spontaneity, we went off to sleep
But around 12 in the night, we felt this sudden urge to go out somewhere. After going around google maps for sometime, we decided to go to Malibu. Luckily a friend of ours had a car, and so we drove down the legendary Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu. It was luckily a moonlit night and the Pacific looked awesome. But when we got to Malibu, we made this awesome revelation that the pier closes off in the night, and there was no open parking lot anywhere. We couldn't find a parking space so two of us got out of the car and started walking down the PCH looking for a spot. Just then a cop car crossed us, eying us suspiciously. That was kinda scary, but luckily we did get a parking spot.
Now that the car was taken care of, we started to look for a way to get to the beach. I tried to convince my friends to jump over the gates to the pier, but no one was in for it, so we had to ditch that plan. So after some exploration, and jumping over some rocks, we got to the Malibu beach. We hung around there for sometime, and then drove back home all satisfied :). After feeling good about ourselves and congratulating ourselves on the success of our spontaneity, we went off to sleep
Day 13
Now that we were having so much fun on a daily basis, we decided to do something awesome for the New Year's eve. Now to think of something, I needed some rest. So I decided to chill that day. I got back to the hibernation mode - hogging and sleeping.
Day 14
After a day of contemplation, we decided to be awesome, and planned to go to Vegas for the New Year's Eve. Now that requires some level of planning, and we ended spending the whole day Googling away for Hotels and car rentals and stuff. You can imagine how hard it would be to find Hotel rooms and cars for the New Year's eve. And luckily we found ourselves a decent hotel and a SUV at reasonable rates. Although I must add that it is as easy as it sounds. Millions and millions of bits were moved all over the places to accomplish something like this.
Day 15
Now the wheels had started rolling towards Vegas, we didn't want to waste the days we had in between doing nothing. So we decided to do something classy. Hence we went to the Getty Museum.
I must say that it has a really awesome location - you can see the whole LA skyline at sundown, and it is really poetic.
And after looking at a million painting, none of which seemed to appealing to me, we went in a medieval exhibition. Now that was interesting with all those swords and armors and killing instruments (I know I am being a guy stereotype here!!).
So eventually after feeding my artistic hunger enough for the rest of my life, we decided to go back home. But on our way back, we took a detour to Hollywood Square because Rumi's friend wanted to visit that place. After that, we came back home.
I must say that it has a really awesome location - you can see the whole LA skyline at sundown, and it is really poetic.
And after looking at a million painting, none of which seemed to appealing to me, we went in a medieval exhibition. Now that was interesting with all those swords and armors and killing instruments (I know I am being a guy stereotype here!!).
So eventually after feeding my artistic hunger enough for the rest of my life, we decided to go back home. But on our way back, we took a detour to Hollywood Square because Rumi's friend wanted to visit that place. After that, we came back home.
Day 16
T - 1 day to Vegas trip. We spent most of the day finalizing everything. Actually we just decided to lay back before the big day, and hence ended up doing nothing interesting.
Day 17
The day. Woke up bright and early. Went to get the car from the rental. After some initial hiccups and funny navigation incidents, we were on our way. Then after some pit stops and a long drive through the desert and mountains, we reached the Las Vegas. But so close to our destination, we took an opposite turn and went a really long way before we came back in the right direction. Following that, we reached the street where our hotel was supposed to be. But alas it was nowhere to be found. We even stopped and asked at some stores and joints by the road, it was of no help. After going up and down the whole street a couple of times, we finally found our hotel. It turned out that the hotel had just opened up the previous day and not many knew about it.
We napped for sometime and then got ready. We were around 25 miles for the Strip so we decided to head out early with the hope of finding a parking spot close to the Strip. But the receptionist at the hotel desk gave us a pretty useful tip.
After that we headed towards the heart of Vegas, and the view was worth watching. In the middle of dark mountains and plain lands, you see a golden center, all glowing and twinkling - I am not well versed enough to describe it in words, but it was just awesome. You can't imagine there can be so much light. That was the perfect time as any to say those three words - "Its Vegas baby!".
So we did manage to get a parking spot close to the Strip, and we got to the Strip on foot, and it was awesome - beautifully lighted Casino on both sides, a million people awaiting the countdown to the New Year, and the best part - free beer trucks down the length of the Strip - it was awesome. We were hungry too, so found ourselves an Asian joint where we had a pretty decent buffet.
After that we started checking out casinos. The first one was New York New York. There I found out two things - I can do a pretty good job in Blackjack with the computer (the table was too costly for me - a minimum bid of $25, and thats a lot for me), the second thing being that the slot machines are very very addictive. All the money I managed to earn playing Blackjack was all lost on the bloody slot machines.
Then suddenly we realized that it was almost midnight, and we ran outside just as the countdown was starting, and as you can expect, Vegas blew up at midnight....it was awesome, thats all I can say. It was one of hell of a New Year.
We decided to explore some more casinos. Some of us went to the Excalibur, some to MGM grand, and we finally all got together at the Monte Carlo. You must know that it was freezing outside and we didn't feel like going out much once we got inside one of the casinos.
Rumi and I decided to explore inside the casino, and we wandered into a disc which was playing live music. It was pretty fun and we danced for a while. But the the most weird thing happened. The band concluded with 'Bhangra' music. Who can imagine a band would be playing 'bhangra' on New Year's eve at a Las Vegas casino disc. What are the odds???
At around 3 in the night we decided to get back to the hotel. By that time, the Strip was almost empty and the cops were picking up those who were too sloshed to go anywhere. And then there was the bed and it was a long day
We napped for sometime and then got ready. We were around 25 miles for the Strip so we decided to head out early with the hope of finding a parking spot close to the Strip. But the receptionist at the hotel desk gave us a pretty useful tip.
After that we headed towards the heart of Vegas, and the view was worth watching. In the middle of dark mountains and plain lands, you see a golden center, all glowing and twinkling - I am not well versed enough to describe it in words, but it was just awesome. You can't imagine there can be so much light. That was the perfect time as any to say those three words - "Its Vegas baby!".
So we did manage to get a parking spot close to the Strip, and we got to the Strip on foot, and it was awesome - beautifully lighted Casino on both sides, a million people awaiting the countdown to the New Year, and the best part - free beer trucks down the length of the Strip - it was awesome. We were hungry too, so found ourselves an Asian joint where we had a pretty decent buffet.
After that we started checking out casinos. The first one was New York New York. There I found out two things - I can do a pretty good job in Blackjack with the computer (the table was too costly for me - a minimum bid of $25, and thats a lot for me), the second thing being that the slot machines are very very addictive. All the money I managed to earn playing Blackjack was all lost on the bloody slot machines.
Then suddenly we realized that it was almost midnight, and we ran outside just as the countdown was starting, and as you can expect, Vegas blew up at midnight....it was awesome, thats all I can say. It was one of hell of a New Year.
We decided to explore some more casinos. Some of us went to the Excalibur, some to MGM grand, and we finally all got together at the Monte Carlo. You must know that it was freezing outside and we didn't feel like going out much once we got inside one of the casinos.
Rumi and I decided to explore inside the casino, and we wandered into a disc which was playing live music. It was pretty fun and we danced for a while. But the the most weird thing happened. The band concluded with 'Bhangra' music. Who can imagine a band would be playing 'bhangra' on New Year's eve at a Las Vegas casino disc. What are the odds???
At around 3 in the night we decided to get back to the hotel. By that time, the Strip was almost empty and the cops were picking up those who were too sloshed to go anywhere. And then there was the bed and it was a long day
Day 18
A whole new day. A whole new year. And what better way to start it than getting a dose of vertigo. So we decided to go to the Stratosphere. When we got to the top of the towers, the slanting glasses did give you a chill down our spine. But we wanted it full blown, so we got ourselves tickets for the rides on top of the Stratosphere. After standing in line for a long time, when we did take the ride, it turned out to be a dud - at least for me, I don't speak for everybody. But must say that the view was very beautiful for up there, less scary and more beautiful. A chop chopper once flew past us, and that kind of make us realize again how high we were.
One thing I forgot to mention. The elevators which took us to the >100th floors, they were so fast, I think we were doing around 5 floor per second.
It was already late by then, so we quickly grabbed some lunch, picked us up some souvenirs, and headed back to LA.
The drive back was far less eventful, and after just one pit stop, we reached our places far before midnight, and then fell off to sleep soon after.
One thing I forgot to mention. The elevators which took us to the >100th floors, they were so fast, I think we were doing around 5 floor per second.
It was already late by then, so we quickly grabbed some lunch, picked us up some souvenirs, and headed back to LA.
The drive back was far less eventful, and after just one pit stop, we reached our places far before midnight, and then fell off to sleep soon after.
Day 19
After Vegas, anything we did would seem pointless, so we decided to do nothing. And that pretty much set the track for what was going to happen for the rest of my stay in Vegas. We hogged, slept and played cards. The Vegas fever had gotten into us, but since we were such a huge family, we mostly played bluff or trump. We did have a member come back to the gang from NY (she spent her New year's eve at Times Square with her special friend ;) - correct me if I am wrong). Unfortunately another member of our gang was under the weather.
Day 20
This day was pretty much the same as the day before. Except that we had the heroine go back to Seattle. Our very own 'main hoon na' hero was pretty heartbroken. Well he always seemed to have a rotten luck, everybody seemed to just leave and go off :P. I am not sure it was this night or the night before, but it had 8 of us sleep together under 2 blankets and 2 sleeping bags. I don't know how many of us actually go to sleep much.
Day 21
Last day in LA. Time to bid farewell to the wonderful people I met and had fun in this short span of time. And also to say goodbye to my girl friend for a really really long time. I don't exactly remember what all I did, but I hope I had said my goodbyes properly. These bunch of people who took me in as one of their own and let me have one of the best vacations of my life. I thank you all for the great great winter I had. And last but not the least, I thank my dear dear Rumi....my winters couldn't have been any better...all thanks to you.
The last day
Time to come back home. Time to pack again. My flight being at 12p.m., I started packing at 8 in the morning. Once the packing was done, I made a brilliant decision to take the bus to the airport instead of calling a cab. And as fate would have it, it was just awesome.
When we reached our connecting bus, we missed by literally seconds. And the next bus was nowhere to be found. But thanks to certain people, I made just in time to check in my luggage at the airport. They had just announced that the luggage check in for my flight had just closed, but they were nice enough to check mine in.
Then I somehow made it to the plane, and slept the 5 hours of flight to Atlanta, where I took the Marta back to my place. And thats how ended my winter. And guess how much work I got done in these 21 days - ZILCH!!!
When we reached our connecting bus, we missed by literally seconds. And the next bus was nowhere to be found. But thanks to certain people, I made just in time to check in my luggage at the airport. They had just announced that the luggage check in for my flight had just closed, but they were nice enough to check mine in.
Then I somehow made it to the plane, and slept the 5 hours of flight to Atlanta, where I took the Marta back to my place. And thats how ended my winter. And guess how much work I got done in these 21 days - ZILCH!!!
