A blind date with Australia

When I arrived in Australia 2 years ago, it was like a blind date. Not sure what to expect, not sure how she would treat me. Will she like me? Will I like her? How long will the date last? Will we continue to be together after that?

I don't know what clicked, but I have fallen in love with you Australia. It is not just the food nor the beautiful people. It is also not just about the Harbour bridge that stands tall as a testament to the eternal beauty in an ever changing surrounding. As I write this from the 6th floor overlooking a generous view of the Sydney skyline, I am trying to assimilate my thoughts and feelings about this great place I am at. The beauty about this is a good place both physically and figuratively. As I flirt with feelings of a fleeting teenage and impending adulthood, I look around and see that all you need for a good feeling is a cap' with one sugar. Not money, not a fancy car but a realization that you are in a good place. I was getting into the train this morning and all I could see was people lost in their own worlds, possibly intimidated by the start of a new week. It was a beautiful day outside, but it can be pretty dampening to have people all around you engrossed in their mobile phones and newspapers. And then I heard the voice shouting 'C'mon guys, keep it moving. It is a beautiful monday and it is a start of something special for all of us'. Every face around smiled, even some still looking at their cellphones. It was the train caretaker who was shouting and this I guess is what I love about Australia. Just when you think you have seen everything, it surprises you with how good it can get.

If there is one thing I have realised as a simple Indian boy travelling, it is that a foreign country is not good only by the big roads and the huge buildings. They are all a given considering we don't have them back home, but when a country changes you as a person only then can you say that you have 'travelled'. Selfies and fridge magnets show that you have visited places, but travelling through the places makes you a different person at the end of the journey. I don't know if it has made me any better, but my experiences in Australia have changed me. One bit at a time. Not in any mystical way, but a realization that we as a people can do much better.

When was the last time a random stranger wished you a good day and mentioned that it was a good weather to be out? When was the last time the whole traffic stopped and all the people waved at a group of specially-abled children on the road? Believe me, that smile is something no poet can put into words. When we look at the 'developed' nations, all we think about is the need to have infrastructure like them. But there is so much more on the ground which we take for granted. It is not the quality of the roads that give a good feeling while going for a walk, but the stranger on the road who smiles at you. Two random people, who possibly will never meet again, share a moment. How unbelievable is that?

We might not 'visit' all the exotic places in the world, but everyday is a journey that changes who you are. So don't be so focused on the destination, you are just going to miss out on the beauty of the journey.

So yes, it was like a blind date. But certainly one blind date which possibly is the sign of something special.

Signs of a developed nation?

Why does it hurt so much when you think about India's current state? There are other nations which are in a much worse state. It is because when you read about how great a nation India was, you realize how much India has slipped. We were the nation which was the richest! Both in terms of monetory and cultural wealth. Now our women are raped, our downtrodden are stamped further and the diparity keeps growing. When you walk the roads, you can bear the stench of garbage, you can bear the stench of the sewers but one thing you cannot bear is the stench of selfishness. When you park a car in front of somebody else's gate, when you throw the garbage on the road, when you jump a traffic signal and block the whole traffic; have you ever thought how selfish it is? How difficult it could be for an old man walking to maneuver around the grabge thrown on the road, how difficult it is for a woman who will now reach office late because you blocked traffic? Somebody once did tell that only the mantra is 'Survival of the fittest', but we can only survive and develop as a whole, as one whole society.

I always wonder what makes a nation "developed". Do the people look more beautiful? Do the roads look cleaner? Do the cars look shinier? I do not know, but I seem to have found an answer in a child's smile. I was walking to office the other day in Sydney and I noticed a group of mentally challenged children walking. It was an amazing in itself that these special children were going to school on their own, but what happened next is what is worth writing about. There were a group of construction workers working at a site in the same raod, and they were all busy in their work. As soon as they saw these kids, they shouted "Hey! Good Morning", and stopped the traffic for them to cross. The faces of those kids suddenly had these huge smiles and in those smiles you could really see what a little "care" means to the people who really need our love and affection. Children are too innocent to fake emotions and in those smiles one could understand how the needy and the weak in our country should be treated.

The downtrodden sections of the society don't need more reservations, they dont need more leaders and more schemes; instead, they need some love, affection and genuine care. Maybe this is the what defines a Nation's development : maturity. Not money, not roads, not cars; but instead how our weakest are treated. That in itself shows how much a nation has developed, and we know India has long way to go. But we will get there, I know it.

yella arama?

It is said that no matter what, no matter where you are, no matter who you are with; you will always be a Kannadiga at heart. As I arrived at Melbourne, I learnt that the people I was about to meet were from Bangalore. Believe me, I did not know them before coming here. But there is some part inside you which tells you that you are connected.

I met them and I said "yen, ella arama?". My heart leaped in joy. I love speaking in english, no qualms about it. But there is some joy unexplained which erupts from within you when you are speaking kannada with somebody in person after nearly 2 months. I cannot exaplain how it feels when you say "yen maga, thindi yelli?" in the middle of thousand foreigners in a foreign land. Home just comes that much closer. Memories of Bangalore, memories of idli vada and everything else come flooding back, everything that makes my home Bangalore beautiful.

At the same time as I sat down to write about it, the only thing I know, I realized how important it is to retain the character your homeland bestowed upon you. No matter which country you are in, no matter which luxury car you are driven in; you will always be the little boy or girl from a city in India and inside you, that will always be paradise.

I have been in this beautiful country of Australia for almost 2 months, and I love it here. But I miss the traffic, I miss the people drinking coffee on the street side off a steel tumbler, I miss eating Idli standing by the footpath; well, I miss my city.

No matter what, my heart speaks Kannada; even in Australia.

Casino and the lessons learnt

He looked at the girl and with an elegant stroke revealed his set of cards. He just won a million dollars and the girl was his. Isn't this the story of a typical Casino story?

Well, I would have been happy if that is the case. The Star casino in Sydney is a beautiful place with a lot of attractions. One can bet from as low as $1 to $50,000 in a single bet. Wanting to see how a casino feels, we went to The Star. As with every casino, it had its share of glamour. Men with slick suits, women hanging off their arms and money to spend. Well, these were only on the high-rollers' side. One can try his hand at any of the games such as roulette, poker and so on. People who want the authenticate casino feel can sit at the tables and play with a dealer with the chips, or one can sit at their own personal machines and play these games virtually. We saw people betting $1-5 and it was fun. As we explored, we happened to reach the high rollers' section. I had seen in movies and was not sure if it was real, but here I saw real betting. Each chip was worth $100 and people were betting 10-15 chips at one go. There was one time where there was atleast $10000 on the table at the same time. Some people were exasperated at losing and threw their credit cards at the dealer to charge more. It is indeed funny, one of those chips could have given a child's education for an entire year. Well, now is not the time for morals!

Anyway, apart from all these fabulous things at a casino; the casino also teaches you a few things you can use in life. It teaches you not to get greedy, it teaches you to be satisfied with what you have and it also shows you how easy it is to lose money. I started with $10 and made $32. I was ecstatic and I immediately cashed out. But something inside me told "you made $22 profit from $10, think how much more you can make". And before I knew it, I lost the whole $32. I said, "Ok, let me put in $20 and recover my old money back". I went to $52.50, and I could have cashed out. No, I contniued. I lost the enitre amount. Before I knew it, I had lost $50. It does make you think about human nature, isn't it? We are never satisfied with what we have. Maybe this has what has made us such a superior species, but it is good to know what is your need and differenciate that from your greed. The casino showed me how easy it is to make money and also lose money. Maybe I am not a gambler, but I have learnt my lesson. The casino is not all about money and glamour, it can teach you lessons if you are ready to learn.

Vegetarian Chicken

Man has always tried his best to satisfy all his needs with the things available to him. Imagine a vegetarian in a land where people eat meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Ofcourse you will get some vegetarian, but how do you make him feel the taste of meat without having him cross his limits? Simple, invent vegetarian chicken!

Yes, it is vegetarian. 100%. And it is chicken. I went to this restuarant called "Bodhi" nestled cosily next to the massive St. Mary's Cathedral. The ambience was as good as any other restuarant. But what blows your mind it the menu. It reads "Vegetarian Chicken", "Vegetarian Prawn" and the list goes on. Before somebody brands me a heretic, let me tell you that it is pure vegetarian. Rather, it is vegan.

Do not be fooled that this is just a name to grab attention. I have seen some of the most hardcore meat eaters enjoy the vegetarian food here and they say the taste is just like real meat. This is however made up of "bean curd", also known as "Tofu". Generally Tofu is bland and is like chewing rubber if cooked improperly. However, the taste here is absolutely brilliant.

They say one needs to try all things in life. Well, I tried chicken and I am still a vegetarian!

Paradise!

"Let us make a deal. You guys promise to me the best crowd and we will promise to give you the best concert in the history". I am not sure if we kept our end of the bargain, but when Mr Chris Martin promised; Coldplay delivered big time!

Entering the massive Allianz Stadium at 5:00PM, we had to wait till alomst 8:30PM for Coldplay to appear. However, 'Temper Trap' had already set a good rythm and the crowd had started to come alive. Some crazy drumming and great tunes by Temper Trap had set the tempo. As the evening grew older, the lead singer of 'Temper Trap' said "you have no idea what you are in for", referring to Coldplay. He was right, we had no inkling of an idea.

The brightly lit up stadium suddenly went dark. The wristbands given to the crowds began to glow. These wristbands were given to all the spectators and the bands were controlled remotely. The lights glow in a particular sequence. So the lights went out and the bands started to glow. It was like 60000 christmas lights and Santa Claus just gave us Chris Martin! Post that, it was all Coldplay!

The Christmas Lights!

Somebody pointed out that there were no stars in the sky. Well, they were in front of us! They were truly superstars and I cannot even describe how incredible it was. They played all the favorites including Fix You, Yellow, Violet Hill, The Scientist, Paradise, Viva la Vida and so on. Glowing baloons, huge glowing dolls, laser lights and amazing lighting. I read somewhere that this concert was the first concert to use top of the line technology and to witness that was nothing short of a previlege. Like Chris mentioned, in the list of amazing things, 50000 people singing the same tune ranks right up there.

Just when we though it was amazing, Coldplay took it to another level. Chris said, "You know, we have only 4 rooms for us in the hotel. The rest of the hotel is booked by this other celebrity. He is an absolute legend. He has been very kind to us. When we were growing up, we always looked upto him. He has always been a towering presence. We love you. As a mark of respect, I will play a small tune of his". He was referring to Sir Elton John and Coldplay played "Rocket Man". Your favorite band playing the tune of your favorite artist=mind blowing!

Videos might be of a low quality:

http://youtu.be/5pwjRhFYCOk

http://youtu.be/bDKtHUirkZU 

I  cannot even describe a tiny bit of how amazing the concert was, but all I can say is Coldplay just gave me one of the greatest nights of my life!

Sydney just became a more awesome place!

Chocolate by The Bald Man

Sydney closes its shutters at 5pm. Shopping centers, cafes etc. close at 5pm. Sounds boring isn't it?

But come the weekend, these guys show you how to live life. I was talking to a friend of mine living in Australia and here is the summary of their lifestyle: "Work whole week, get wages for the week. Party the whole weekend with the money! Start again the next week". Is this how life is supposed to be lived? I don't know, I am nobody to judge.

Anyway, this time I will tell you about this amazing place. This place is all about the love story of one man. His passion, his only love and his story. This place is about Max Brenner's love story. It is about his love story with chocolate. By the looks of it, he had one hell of an affair!

Max Brenner's Chocolate Bar!

We walk towards this place, and I can smell chocolate as I enter. Te first thing I see is that this place is actually ONLY chocolate. Little chocolate truffles, chocolates filled with whiskey, white chocolate bars, pure chocolate blocks, cocoa powder..the list goes on. Savouring the ambience, I settle down and I begin to think: "maybe this is why it is called the Food of the Gods". This is a place which oozes chocolate from every corner. There was chocolate pizzas, the chocolate Tiramisu, chocolate souffle and lots more.

While I was admiring all this, I happened to notice these odd looking pipes running over head. I wondered why these pipes were externally visible, when they should have been embedded in the walls. I traced the path of the pipes and then what I realized took the meaning of "chocolate bar" to a whole new level. These were pipes carrying hot chocolate! Chocolate was being prepared right there and there were pipes carrying chocolate!

Australia continues to amaze me. The colors, the sounds and now the taste; incredible!