LIVER 'pool' ed

What a month that was? Oft used to describe a month that passed by rapidly, I could come across nothing else to capture the worst month of my life in a nutshell. I have often heard about ups and downs being a part of life and experienced it too, but it has always struck me as being something too trivial. It was a month I had been looking forward to for a year because birthdays come just once a year and I was to finally get rid of the immaturity associated with teenhood. The start of the English Premier League season and the prospect of getting back behind Liverpool after a bland World cup besides the prospect of some challenging work associated with my management fest kept me buzzing. This is how the next few days actually turned out.

August 1: My uncle comes to Varanasi along with aunt and grandma on a spiritual tour for a day. I accompany them thus missing my first classes of the semester. Forced to accept the rustic beauty of Varanasi for the first time. An agnostic, I 'visit' around 10 temples, grumble at why people get so 'religious' and am an exhausted lot by evening. Pause for a moment wondering about the number of temples present here. With 60 odd ghats and each having its share, this place should easily make its way to the record books. My estimate is around 300 temples. And I spent a day covering 1/30th of that! A spiritual behemoth indeed! But some things never change. The Ganges is still brownish-black and I am too lazy to see them off to the station. I get treated at the 'Diamond' by one of the greatest misers in IT history and am forced to think of visiting temples most often. Am satisfied at having missed 4 classes.

August 2-16: Life passes off as usual with time passing off quickly even with my doing nothing. Classes, sleeping and browsing take up most of the time. Have numerous meetings to give our management festival 'OPULENCE' some shape. Put the final touches to a pretty lousy brochure but am still satisfied. At least some work done. Behave like a stupid 'professional' politician in refusing to give up my post of TPR. Feel gung-ho about it. Try in vain to get some other TPRs elected to assist me in this crucial month. Miss another 3 classes due to general laziness.

August 17: Get my training set up. Am quite happy for that is a major headache out of the way and I get paid as well. Miss 7 classes having to involve myself in what was supposed to be a tough selection procedure but in the end turns out to be quite biased. My classmates exercise their legs and try desperately to get some leather off their slippers when I return with promises to repeat the process over the next few days. What a weird world! My body pains as I go to sleep.

August 19: Opulence general body meeting takes place. Am excited at the way the meeting proceeds and also at the response. Eat heavily in the afternoon as a consequence. Wake up at night feeling uneasy. Decide to take a fast at night despite having been a very profitable Saturday. Liverpool draw 1-1 to Sheffield United.

August 21: It is my birthday and my classmates repeat the entire exercising process very extensively for around an hour just as the day dawns. Go to sleep once again with pain, wondering. Bathe for the second time in the morning this semester before going to class. Sport a new T-shirt and get back in the afternoon buzzing. Plans have already been set up by my classmates on my treating them at the TAJ that night. Withdraw money after sending my parents unconscious. Feel uneasy in the evening but still drag myself to the temple. Get a fever and dinner is off. I thus save some money or so I think.

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