Unusually I had a mosquito to THANK for waking me.

The great majority fail when attempting to convert to a polyphasic sleep schedule. This failure is almost always due to oversleeping the regimented 30min naps. Of late I’ve begun to understand why all this is so. Compelling the body onto the polyphasic schedule is awkward, but once in motion, slacking on the schedule does nothing more than suggest total anarchy to a body already hinting at mutiny. The way I understand it, sleep deprivation is the method used to force the sleep cycle exclusively into REM sleep; ignoring the alarm is the method the body uses to deal with sleep deprivation.

A few days ago everything was working out just fine. A friend of Amol’s (my flatmate) (a Bengali)(the friend is Bengali, not Amol)(he’s marathi) was married to a Catholic. That means two weddings. The Christian ceremony (which we missed most of) was typical and the reception (which we milked) was HILARIOUS. I’d describe it as a Frankenstein’s monster of western marriage tradition, others might describe it as circus show, the accompanying Indians would describe it simply as a good time (evident by an energetic interpretation of the “chicken-dance” despite available alcohols). The reception couldn’t have had a better indicator of what was to come than with the 21^st Century Fox’s signature trumpet call leading the wedding party into the reception hall (followed by traditional wedding music, though I expected the opening theme to Star Wars). By 12:30p.m. the 500+ guests dissolved into about 50 “special guests” in the presidential suite of a local hotel to witness the traditional Bengali wedding. In between I managed a 20min 12:00a.m. nap and was charged up for the ceremony to come as others were nodding off. The Bengali ceremony was totally chill with the couple, family, and religious folk squashed between guests lounging on the floor covered by cotton mats and satin sheets, open conversation amongst all, and hotel fella’s handing out snacks and drinks (alcohol skillfully discreet).

After loosing my six rupees gambling I made the decision to pass out about 3:00a.m. and shortly there after went home. I think it was this extended nap away from my alarm clock that set me on the path for the dark side. Because from then on, my polyphasic sleep schedule has taken a nasty turn for the worst. Oversleeping at times and missing naps at others has set my head into a tail-spinning plunge from a point where I was making considerable headway to now where my internal clock is that of a cartoon image with springs and cogs bursting from its seams.

I think I’ve recognized my weaknesses in achieving this polyphasic goal and only through sheer determination will I overcome them. For now, I’m going to try and get this blog updated before I zonk out…

Okay okay, while i'm here I'll throw in some pictures...

A bike ride to the train station, a train to a bike ride to a hill station:

Made it up just in time for the sunset (stumbled in the dark for a hotel):

Trasportation was restricted to horse and stout bare-footed men (they even took my bike away):

Monkeys caused trouble EVERYWHERE (oh, but they're so adorable):

Halloween and Diwali meet on our balcony (those are my roomies):

Jack o'mellons have become something of a tradition:

Diwali is a week-long holiday of fireworks (and other stuff too). About three of those days it felt like we were living in a war zone. Firecrackers SO loud that I could feel the blasts up here in my 7-th room(I jumped every single time for three days) and aerials that I would, on occasion, watch fly into peoples open windows (I closed mine).

Our fish market:




Oh, our kitten:

Rappeling from Dukes Nose (note the fellow (bottomish right, white speck) right edge of the traverse crack).

Doggy: