Half Sweet n' Half Nuts

My to-do list at the moment is endless. My plans for today were complex and eventful. All of last week I was supposed to be working as a volunteer for the Indian Film Festival, Los Angeles (IFFLA) but my sore throat made that impossible. I did however manage to go and help out on Friday and Saturday till my head hurt and my feet just wanted to fall of. I was supposed to be there all day today as well, for the final days program and Closing Night Gala. Being ill also means my home hasn't been cleaned all week, I had dishes piled up in the sink, a mountain of laundry to be done and tons of mail to catch up with. Add to that since I'm going home in less than a week, I have gifts to buy and wrap, packing to be done, luggage zippers to fix and my dad's surprise birthday party to organize from 8,000 miles away.

It's not surprising that I was stressed out and exhausted.

I woke up and just didn't want to get out of bed, and you don't need a therapist to tell you that is not a good thing! So I called up the volunteer coordinator at IFFLA, this really fun girl I am glad I had the chance to work with, and pleaded sickness and got out of working. I know I know. I'm bad. What can I say?

I was supposed to tackle my chores today, eat healthy and organize my life a little. Instead I have spent all day stretched out on my bean bag with a steadily accumulating pile of junk of food by my side, watching one silly movie on TV after another. Pure bliss!

The last couple of days have been quite an experience. They taught me a little bit about myself and about social dynamics. The film festival was a first for me. It was unfortunate that I couldn't be a part of it from the beginning. As a result all the other people involved with the festival had already developed that camaraderie amongst themselves that comes when people put in a lot of hours working very hard together. It isn't easy being a first timer and a stranger to everyone.

I had always thought of myself as a confident, outgoing, fun person. Being in a situation completely alien to my comfort zone made me realize how untrue that is. Being at ease amongst people you can relate to is very different from being amongst people who have a completely different thought process and lifestyle. I was surprised to find myself tongue tied for a large part of those two days. I was, as one of the guys aptly described me as, a fly on the wall - you wouldn't even know I was there! I just stood back and listened and let myself absorb all of it. I would have names dropped if I could, but the truth is I really didn't meet anyone famous. I saw a couple of known names, maybe even checked them in at some event... but nothing more really. Nothing worth boasting about :)

I guess you could say it wasn't quite as much fun as I had hoped it would. I met some nice interesting people but I doubt I'll see any of them again. But then again you never know! All in all, not too bad!

And so, dear reader, it came to be that I embraced the lazy side of life and spent all day today being true to the couch potato in me! He! He! He! Lazy Sundays are simply the best!