October Last week: Noels wedding + Metallica Concert + Halloween Party

October 28th: Goa – Morjim Beach, Montego Bay Resort. Noel’s wedding.

Before I even begin with all the gory details that I will obviously get into regarding Noels wedding, I must say how awed I was at the wedding just looking at Noel and all those people around him, and wondering to myself how much life has changed since we were little boys in school.. Every time I look at all of my friends from back then, especially those that left our sweet city of Bangalore to explore the world outside, I always notice how far and wide life has taken them, and how different things around them seem, and yet, how they are fundamentally the same nut we always knew..
Anyway, I took a flight out of Bombay at 4p.m to make it to Goa in time for Sangeet, and managed to make it to the resort only by 8:30p.m, in spite of taking an expensive cab ride that cost me Rs. 1200 from Dabolim to Montego Bay. Kept working the entire journey and didn’t even realize when I reached the resort, and Muni opened the door for me and said “welcome to Montego bay sir”. Guy was actually outside and bored for company and waiting for me to get there.
I could hear music as soon as I reached, and just about caught a glimpse of the final dance presentation that 20 people on stage were presenting to about 15 off it. But it was really sweet to see the effort they were putting, and I shouted out to Noel from outside saying I didn’t see him dance at all. Noel came out of the group to give me a hug, and that was probably the closest I got to the boy for the remaining 3 days, coz he was no longer the nut we knew, but the groom getting married.
But anyway, we began drinking and dancing, and Jeetu and Rupak also joined a bit late, and after a while, in that drunken state, all of us randomly entered the pool that was in the resort. Most of us guys got in with just our underwears. The girls were sober enough to go in and change into their costumes, and in a very short time, all of us were having a total blast in that little pool. By about 3a.m, way past my snoozing time, when I just couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer, I went and crashed in Noels room, which was actually suppose to be for him and Bhavya, as me and Muni were to take another room. But anyway, with me crashing there, Muni and Noel had no choice but to crash in with me, and Bhavya made other plans.
I remember just after I passed out, people began shouting and asking me to wake up and point to a black bag. I was so passed out that I pointed to my black bag, which was the only black bag I was aware of. These guys were actually asking for Jeetu’s black bag which he apparently gave me when he entered, and I have zero recollection of it – Muni’s logic was that Jeetu was pretty drunk, and he gave the bag to a guy who he thought was less drunk than him, but then I was drunk enough to have no clue where I put the bag, and essentially, in a drunken stupor, all of us forgot about the bag. Anyway, I pointed in the direction of my bag and these guys went about searching around my bag, including looking inside it for Jeetu’s black bag! But obviously to no luck.. We finally found the missing black bag the next day morning, which I only picked from the ‘oven’ in the kitchen where it was kept safe by the resort manager Alwyn, and handed over to Jeetu.
As usual, I was awake real early and ahead of everybody else. Saturday went by a bit slow. Most of the crew were busy getting things ready. Even Noel and Bhavya was busy writing their vows and practicing their first dance as a couple to be staged later on that evening. Muni, Jeetu, Rupak and I decided to just bum around, coz somebody really needed to enjoy the place and actually play the role of guests – we took up that one responsibility and lived it to the T. All we did was play in the beach, chill with beer in the afternoon, eat a king fish, and just short of catching an afternoon nap, coz wedding was to begin pretty early at 5p.m.
At around 4p.m, the clouds looked like it was going to open up, and this had everybody all stressed up. People started figuring out a plan B and stuff. But thankfully, it was just a passing shower, and soon, by about 5:15p.m the wedding began..
There was a ramp all the way from the resort to the beach. Chairs kept out at sand. A small alter facing the beach and the setting sun behind it. A priest that spoke very little, Noel and Bhavya reading their vows and Bhavya crying listening to Noel getting all mushy. Then priest asking them both to kiss and Jeetu and I going all out with our whistles.
I had witnessed the first live kissing at a wedding (everyone in my family in my generation intermarried, and we just never had any of this – that apart from the fact that it was probably never done in Goa!). so after this was the cake cutting, the first dance of Noel and Bhavya, and then, of course, some more drink and dance for the night.
Just before the family junta packed up, we did something very interesting – candle balloons across the beach. It was a really nice experience. All of us stood in pairs, preparing the balloons from the packets that Daniel there gave us. Muni and I set up ours with him balancing the balloon, while I lit the wax below it, and soon, all of us let our balloons off together. Seeing them drift off above the water was a lovely sight.

We got back to more drinking and dancing, and yes, more of the pool. This time I tried much harder at staying awake, especially with Jeetu threatening me to do all nasty stuff to me if I sleep off. So I did give it a shot, but by about 4a.m, I had to find the sack.
But just before we all packed in, was the next highlight of the night - Noel and Bhavya going on a ride on a white scooty studded with balloons and a a string of noisy cans tied at the back with their names written on them. After this, we bid our goodbyes and goodnights to the newly wed couple, and the rest of us bummed out in a bit.
Next day, Muni, Jeetu, Rupak and I decided to leave early, go to Arambole (where Jeetu and Rupak originally planned to stay, but ended up spending both nights here), grab a beer and some nice food (some more nice Goan fish), but by the time we finished socializing with everyone at the resort and bid adieu, it was time to leave and head straight out to the airport. We hired an active that Muni rode all the way to the airport, with Jeetu and Rupak following us on their Thunderbird and then they drove it back to Arambole.


October 30th: Metallica at Palace grounds
Wow! Just what else can I say about the boys in black playing the first metal songs you ever listened to growing up. It was a really great feeling. Especially when songs like “one”, “memory remains” and “nothing else matters” came on. Amazing!
So Muni and I reached Bangalore airport at 4p.m, exactly on time with thankfully no delays by the KF flight coz I really didn’t want to get late for the concert where gates opened at 3p.m itself. We rushed to palace grounds and finally entered by 6:30. Watched the opening band play for a bit, and then patiently waited amidst a jampacked crowd around us till 8 for Metallica to come out.
They did come out at 8, but it was not until 8:15 that they finally began playing coz they had to get the crowd to move behind a few steps to uncover some microphones that apparently people stepped over. So it was 15 mintues of Hetfields awesome voice begging people to organize, rather than say “fortune fame, mirror vain, gone insane, but the memory remains”.
Anyway, he did begin eventually, and then it was all about watching Ulrich do his standing up and drumming act, hammit coming up with some awesome finishes for every song, and the man, Hetfield doing what he does best – angry strumming, with some killer singing.
Its true what they say about Metallica – absolutely the most talented band you can ever come across. Its just mind-blowing how all that music is generated by just 4 guys, and still sound exactly the way they do in the recorded songs.
Jidesh, China, Muni and I were there together, and we were absolutely loving it. Headbanging, singing, and moving with the entire crowd.
My favorite part of the night was “memory remains”. Hetfield had asked the crowd to sing the chorus and sing it louder than the PA. Sing we did, well after the Hammit ended it with his signature fade outs. We just went on and on, till Hetfield just sat down and said “I love you guys..”. It was an amazing moment, and one of those few times you just love the fact that you are a Bangalorean.
Well, we left just before the last song to beat the crowd getting out, and thankfully so, coz I later read that there was a bit of a mess first with the bags that people had left outside going missing, and then with the parking becoming a mess with everyone trying to get out.
I managed to get home by 11p.m and spend a bit of time with parents before calling it a night and boarding an early morning flight to Bombay.


October 31st: Halloween party at Parul and Anchal’s place
I reached Bombay at 7a.m from Bangalore after the wild Metallica concert and headed straight to office. As usual was super busy getting through work, and in the evening, we had a Halloween party which Geeta organized really amazing. She sent out fliers, got cut outs to prepare for the party at night, and all the works to prepare for an awesome party.

Bangdu, Amit, Suyash, Priyanka, Parul, Surakshit, Ritika, Neelam, Geeta and I were the ghosts for the night. All of us got into costumes and make up. I was Jack Sparrow, the easiest guy to become, Geeta was the Onida devil, Ritika and Parul were regular witches, and we got Amit and Bangdu into costumes after they came straight from office, looking scary as hell in their formals!
We first made Bangdu two-face from Batman, and then Amit joker. Both of them Batman villains and looking pretty good.
Then we drank (good old Gentlemen Jack and Grey Goose Vodka for the ladies that Geeta very sweetly bought from duty free on her way back from Bangkok), danced, watched MJ’s Thriller, and then, of course, played mafia. Man, we fought and fought so much, and finally by 3 had to call it a night.
I was dreading the thought of office the next day. It was one crazy weekend that began on Friday night (Noels Sangeet) and went on all the way to Monday night (Halloweens) and with barely 4 hours of sleep every night. But then all parties do have to come to an end at some point, and then we gotta wake up to go make some money for the next party! So without any more complaints, I slept and woke up in 4 hours..

Birthday 29

Birthday 29:
So it was the last of my 20’s, and boy has it been a fantastic decade for me! So many highs and lows, and stories worth writing at least 10 different books! Only if I can get down to it, that is. I’m already getting a feel of how the 30’s are gonna pan out – boring as shit. But that’s how life possibly works out. All the stuff that happened in the 20’s and kept life so exciting is totally out of the question now on. Life is all about working weekend to weekends. Working enough days to earn that hiatus. And then go to some exotic place and blow that cash up. So apart from a few exciting weekends and that one or max two odd trips in a year, life has nothing much else to offer. But back in the 20’s (I’m already giving the 20’s an obituary, although I still have one final year to go) there was just so much happening! So many friends, so much of drunken revelry, so many fiascos with women.. man, it was something else!
Birthday 29 actually started off as drab as it could possibly be. We just reached home after a trip to Scotland that turned out completely opposite to what I hoped it would be – not one person liked it. Naan and Geeta were pissed on Day 1 of Scotland itself. I was upset seeing them that way and admonished myself for actually planning a trip like this, when we could have easily gone to a place like Edinborough. I mean, really, the places we went to were where the Scots went to after retirement. It was interesting and all, in a way of doing something different, but come on, I get one bludy week of leave in a year, I’d rather live it up.
Anyway, we got home and Geeta very sweetly made the most of what was available at home at that point, and arranged a cake and a can of JD for us to drink. Given the way the last 2 days went, I was glad she and Naan even took that much effort to do this. Anyway, we had a decent time drinking that JD and chatting into the night.
But the next day, the entire day was spent shopping! I mean, there was no doubt that we had to do it, coz not just for us, but there were people back home also who expected us to bring some things back. But the fact that it was all we did for the day was a real bummer. Anyway, nobody to really blame here. We were so drunk and slept so late that the day started late for us and shopping even the amount we did was all that we could do for that day.
Of course, the way the day ended was good. We went to a really neat steakhouse and I had probably the best steak I’ve had till date – one called rib-eye which I keep hearing on TV. So that was the highlight really. But frankly the best we could salvage of the day. Anyway, I was fine coz being in London itself was a friggin big deal right. So no complaints at all. Figured I had one more good birthday.
And that was until exactly a week later, when Geeta planned this whole thing out for me that turned out to be probably the best birthday bash ever.
For the last few days I kept telling her how I’m missing my school friends. Dunno why I was on the trip. No, actually I know exactly why I was on that trip, but that’s a separate post now. So basically, I kept talking about school and friends there, that Geeta decided to use this as the theme for the party.
So I come to a place where 2 of our office friends – Parul and Aanchal stay, and thought I’d be picking her up from here and going to Bangdu’s, where we would drink and do the usual. I least expected a “party” for me. But the moment I got there, there was a board on the door saying “NJS welcomes Dumma”. I get in and everybody there – Parul, Aanchal, Gannu and Geeta were dressed in school uniform and recreated an entire school environment inside for me. So there were pictures from school days that Jeetu had mailed Geeta. There were words like Prasanna Ma’am, NJS and even Tyke written and strewn around. And the best part was, Geeta actually carried clothes for that resembled my school uniform – now wasn’t that something! So I changed into that and Gannu brought his Xbox 360 that all of us began playing – which was supremely entertaining.
We had a bottle of Gentleman Jack that I couldn’t wait to open, but G kept asking me to hold on. I figured we were waiting for Bangdu to come in, but then at 10 when the door bell rang, and in came not just Bangdu, but even Amit and Suyash, and all three wearing a costume similar to what I was in - white shirt, tie and shorts for all three. It was hilarious. I couldn’t believe they actually did all that and landed up there.
We finally opened the bottle of GJ and started drinking. After a bit, we ate, played DC and having so much fun, that it actually turned bright outside and only then did we crash. I didn’t realize when I slept off, and woke up with a killer hangover – which basically meant I had one helluva party.
Now that was a nice birthday number 29. And it was only possible coz one person believed in it. Thanks babe :)