Category: 2019

I want to be able to make compelling arguments like this:

Sunday. Is there a day more beautiful? I think not. Actually, I think Saturday might be more beautiful than Sunday, because you’re still happy on Saturday evening – there’s a full days’ worth of holiday to look forward to. On Sunday evening the worry of work returns (I have no worry, I am really happy where I am working at the moment, and will remain pleased as punch if this continues forever). But Saturday morning doesn’t have the feeling Sunday morning does – that rush to make your weekend count because you’ve wasted the full Saturday. Plus Sunday has more of a ring to it. It rolls off the tongue, so to speak.

I’ve found a new goal for myself – one I plan to implement from August 1st. I’d really like to learn how to Code, so I’m downloading a couple of books and signing up for e-mailers and stuff to figure out what this extreme sport is all about. Hopefully I should make some progress by the end of the year.

Being a couch potato has fantastic benefits. I elected not to join my friends on their weekend adventures, which I think gives them also the opportunity to catch up properly with each other and enjoy themselves – while I get to work on the things I want to and ensure that this vanilla cream-coloured couch is left with my butt impression by the time I leave from here. One day, there will be a plaque on this sofa that shall say “Tejas sat here”, and that, will be my defining mark.

This sofa is honestly ridiculous. It sinks in when you sit, but the back is sturdy and offers a lot of posture correction and support. I can sleep on it all day if I’d like. The best part is that we arranged it to provide for adequate legroom and legspace, but to allow for multiple variations of lazing around on the couch.

This weekend has gotten off to a great start. Along with the couch potato-ing, I must say, a very underrated hobby is the ability to appreciate a nice sandwich, with cheese.

Yum.

My flat/studio-mate has her school friend visiting us for the weekend. I’m hoping to join them for some of the things they have planned out, but the forecast says its going to be a rainy weekend, and I have a couple of things I want to get done. Given the adventures of the last two weekends, including a fully unexpected but amazing trip to Spain – maybe it makes sense for me to camp at home. Let’s see how things go.

Its very nice to see my flatmate get so excited at the prospect of having her friend here. It reminds you a lot about the comfort of home. Not the place, but the people. So much nostalgia trapped in each person’s spirit and soul. You remember the oddities, the strangest details. For example, honestly, about my best friends from high school: I can only remember eating food. You ask me to tell you about my best friends and I can tell you stories about meals and the kind of jugaad we’ve done for food.

If my friends were visiting me here, which I wish they were, all we’d be doing is walking around and getting food.

Speaking of, I’m in Switzerland. I really need to have fondue before leaving.

I haven’t written a book review since sometime in April. Life seems to have caught up with me, but it doesn’t mean my reading has stopped at all. In fact, to the contrary, in my time away from campus, I’ve been able to read a lot more widely – because I’ve been spending time hunting for books, rather than reading everything showing up on my recommendation list on Goodreads.

Recently, I’ve been reading on technology startup culture – and how they function, what their leadership looks like, what decisions they make. I was really obsessed with this show called Silicon Valley which used to run on HBO (I’m not sure about its status at present), but reading all these books is reminding me of that phase.

My favourite book in the series is called “A Year Without Pants”. I relate. I would like a year without pants (I have previously been vocal of my support for shorts, and I think not wearing any pants is a step backward, which means more relaxation and the ability to stay at home always – which is always great).  No, but really, it’s a fantastic read, and it discusses WordPress, which is one of the few applications I use every single day, given my writing schedules now.

I fully support that kind of work culture and autonomy, and to see that a company you’ve always enjoyed supporting (by using their products) have that, it’s a lovely feeling. WordPress essentially operates remotely. They do have an office, but they run a “work wherever” model, and have internal WordPress blogs and chat channels to keep communication running. They’ve basically taken out the inefficiencies of the workplace. Now, I thought that would be really boring – because you’re not getting to interact with people – which, to me, is something I look forward to when I’m going into work, but I think having the flexibility means you search for places outside of “work” to meet new people. Which is nice.

I wonder if professional set ups – with lawyers, etc, can function in a similar manner. I’d like to see that happen.

I’ve sent a lot of e-mails this week. Mailtrack is really nifty, and provides me with updates on numbers – how many I send out and such. I usually delete them, but I think I’ve sent out more mails this week, than I have in the last month. That probably stems from the fact that I’m away from University at the moment, but it’s still something noticeable that’s out of the ordinary for me.

My free time these days goes in cooking meals and watching TV while doing that. I think that’s the biggest benefit of having a ledge near the kitchen (if you’d like to call the place with my induction top a kitchen), and wireless headphones. You get to enjoy a nice show on your laptop while cooking something you’re happy to eat at the end of the day. It’s good relaxation time.

I have, however, fully realized that lying down on the sofa and working means I will get no work done, and have begun to sit on the sofa & working. Our sofa is far too comfortable for me to get out of before I am done with everything I have to do.

I got to spend time with someone whose academic scholarship I have really admired. As Law School has progressed, the kind of reading I do has changed. I still enjoy my fiction, a lot. But as I think I’ve said before, I’ve begun doing reading in parts – there are things I read for work, during the day, to chill, at night. Day and work reading is largely non-fiction, I find. Academic scholarship has become a large part of that. The more I read, the more I’ve gained the ability to appreciate written arguments and structures, but also the multitude of perspectives on academic topics and debates which derive out of an individuals’ geography and historical background and context.

 

I find it extremely coincidental that I have exactly two hundred and four unread e-mails in my inbox at this moment of time. Don’t worry, these are largely e-mails from subscriber links and things like that. It’s my now-defunct inbox. My relationship with e-mails has seen me devote one e-mail ID to each phase of my life so far. I wonder if that’ll continue as I move institutions.

I feel very privileged being here. I am aware of how fortunate I am to have the opportunity to spend time in Switzerland and Europe, but the privilege is something I cannot explain – for it is intangible, and presents itself more often in the form of opportunities that I am getting. This afternoon, for example, I spent time in the lunch break with an Ambassador from the Finnish Foreign Ministry, whose work as a member of the International Law Commission I was extremely interested in.

While the opportunity itself made me really happy, it’s really humbling to see that such established people do not mind spending time with young individuals to answer their questions, or to talk to them about their experiences. It makes the community of people seem a lot warmer than you’d otherwise imagine. The diversity here is something I want to cherish and enjoy every single day, and I seem to be learning more from conversations a lot more than actual subject-matter.

I still can’t believe I’m here.

I learnt from my experience flying in a suit that perhaps it is only a good idea when you want to make a fancy impression or when you’re landing for a meeting. Otherwise you can rock a blazer and still look very cool while flying – and that’s precisely what I did. Fewer things beeped also, given that I wasn’t wearing a belt or my leather shoes (I’ve always wondered why these beeped).

I made it back to Geneva via Zurich – having started my day at 4, and I changed into professional clothes (my formals, basically) at the UN itself. That was quite the experience, given that I only had one hook on which to balance the clothes that weren’t in use. I did succeed, and my flatmate confirmed that I did not look like I had just woken up, which I think is quite good.

I stopped for groceries again.

And being back here meant I got to play with Jaska again.

I’m going to miss this life when I leave.

Today was my final day in Madrid. It got off to a late start, given how crazy yesterday was, which was a good thing – because I was able to sleep in and get some rest. We had brunch and headed off to spend the day in Madrid. First off was the Royal Palace of Madrid, where we did a tour. It was quite stunning and housed the royal families in Spain for a very long time. They’ve opened it up to the public, but it’s maintained very well. It’s massive. We decided to head to the Plaza Mayor after that, which is just a big square in the middle of Madrid. Prior to that though, we passed through the Mercado de San Miguel – which is a market selling local cuisine items, including lots of quesos (cheese) and alcohol We just bought ice-cream. Which was yum.

Walking through the Plaza Mayor, we got a few photographs, and then went to the Puerta de Sol – another historic sight, after which we moved off down the Sol to La Osa y el Madroña (which is a statue of a bear and a tree – which is the Madrid municipality symbol as well). It was rather pretty.

After finishing all this, we realized how high temperatures were soaring (around 38-39) so we got into the car and drove to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu (the Real Madrid stadium) and then to Wanda Metropolitano (the Atletico Madrid stadium). I decided which team to sign for, and then we went to buy groceries and have dinner at an Asian restaurant, Ni Hao. It rained in the evening, which was uncharacteristic and unexpected!

I’ll be very honest with you. Madrid is a city of two halves, and it’s very visible in the architecture and layout of the entire city. The football club history in the city clearly reflects that – with Atleti starting up through the dissidents from Real, and formed by Basque students living in Madrid.

I’m heading back to Geneva tomorrow morning. A lot has to be said here about how much care and affection has been showered on me in the last two days by everyone I’ve interacted with, and I will miss them dearly over the course of the next 3 weeks I’m spending in Europe.

So we woke up in the morning, Vrinda Aunty had made upma. Ate that, and left in the car to Kulkarni Uncle’s place. Saw a little bit of Madrid en route there (didn’t stop anywhere). Then began driving to Toledo. The drive was about 1.5 hours, and we reached around 11:45 or so. Immediately went to the Toledo Cathedral, where we took an audioguide and visited the various (9) parts of the Cathedral. It was beautiful. Notable parts include the various chapels they have created inside, the fresco paintings on the wall, and the ornate sculptures and carvings in the choir sections. You’ll understand more about it’s beauty when you see photographs. While we did the Cathedral, Kulkarni Uncle & Jayant Uncle did an Army Museum – since they had been to Toledo earlier. It took us about 2 hours to finish the entire audiotour, after which we had a small photoshoot and then went for lunch. We found this vegetarian restaurant called Madre Tierra, which served incredible food – I had a zucchini dish, which was delicious, and some dessert. What I loved most about the place was how accommodating they were. Kulkarni Uncle was not eating much owing to Sankashti something and they got him potato fries and some fruit salad – despite it not being on the menu, and a language barrier. We walked to the car, got more photos, bought magnets, and set off around 4 toward Segovia.

Now Segovia is in the opposite direction to Toledo (in reference to Madrid), but the highway system meant it was only a 1.5 hour drive. We reached by 5:45 or so, and skipped the Cathedral, choosing to go to the Castle (Alcazar de Segovia) which was beautiful and picturesque. It was atop a hill and looked like it was out of a Disney movie. We didn’t take any audioguide or anything, but just walked around admiring the beauty of the place. What I liked the most here was their use of stained glass paintings – they used the light really, really well to get the most out of the stained glass windows.

Since Spain is largely Catholic, a lot of the paintings and artwork here depicts the life of Christ or the Old Testament. It’s very intricate work.

Post the Alcazar, we visited the Roman Aqueduct in Segovia, which was beautiful and historic since it was built by the Romans and still stands erect today. Post another photoshoot, we set off for Madrid, reaching back only around, perhaps 10? We ate dinner at an Indian restaurant, Everest Tandoori, and got back home at 11:45.

Tomorrow will be a day in Madrid.

Spain is beautiful and unlike anything else I’ve seen before.

Woah. We made it.

We’re in Madrid, Spain. On the two hundredth day of the year. Incredible.

Yup. I’m in Spain. My family friends are here for a while, so when Lyon tanked, and they proposed Madrid, it was just a matter of checking for tickets and booking them and getting onto the flight here after work.

I also got to watch my friends win their moot court competition, get some great photographs, interact with one of the people I have loved reading – and, best of all, fly in a suit.

I’m just here for the weekend, so you can be prepared for some fun little narratives over the next two days.

I think I should let you know that my Lyon plans have fully tanked. Substitute plans have been made, and you shall find out where I go over the weekend once I get around to uploading the blogs I have pending. I’m really hoping I actually upload everyday rather than writing summaries and uploading them all on one day. I’d like that to change after I cross the 200 number for the year, perhaps.

Today was remarkable. I have no words to explain how much access being in Geneva can give you. First, my friends got to the finals of their moot court competition, which is reason to celebrate. But second, I got to attend the first edition of the Annual Nelson Mandela Human Rights Lecture, which has been established on Nelson Mandela Day. I got to do that only because I was in Geneva. We were privileged, honestly, to listen to the former Judge, Albie Sachs – who was Mandela’s friend and one of the drafters of South Africa’s Bill of Rights, and the present UN High Commissioner on Human Rights – Michelle Bachelet, who is a two time former President of Chile.

The lecture itself was phenomenal. A couple of takeaways I had were:

• To always fight for causes and work toward causes you believe are likely to impact communities in positive ways.
• To always have a sense of humour about you.
• To be grateful and cognizant of your privilege.

You also realize how small the world actually is when you see people like this speaking to you, and how united all post-colonial countries are in their struggle for freedom from colonial powers and their screw-ups. South Africa and India have far too much in common from the British experience. If nothing, I am certain that this explains the love affair Indians have with A B De Villiers.

After the lecture, we had a lovely Indian dinner in Geneva, before returning back to Cessy only around 11. Given that tomorrow is the end of the week and I am flying to my<undisclosed location>, I had to pack and such as well. Which was quite tiring. But worth it. Fully.