Heaven on Earth...

Ithaca... yes that's what it's called... I am not referring to the little island in the Ionian sea in Greece, but to Ithaca, home to Cornell... I googled around and found a site that has the following to say about the origin of the name Ithaca..

There are various interpretations as to the origin the name Ithaca, it is believed that it comes from:

• Ithacos, the hero from mythology

• the Greek word "ithy" which means cheerful

• the Greek adjective "ithys" which means abru

• the Phoenician word "utica" which means colony.

So why do I call Ithaca a beautiful place? Well, consider this: Cornell is located on a hill, flanked by two river-cut gorges and surrounded by waterfalls and beautiful hills. There's also the serene Cayuga lake that adds to its charm. Besides, the architectural majesty of its buildings is a treat for the eyes of the beholder. And it's a wonderful view that is on offer if you take the time out to roam around campus during the late evenings (you see, sunset is at about 9pm... so around this time) you can see the campus in all its glory... beautifully lit and excellently picturesque.

Happened to be roaming around with my pals the other night - Suresh and Shashikant. Both graduated from IITD last year and are in the ECE dept at Cornell. Suresh is also my roomie and has helped me a lot ever since I confirmed my internship with Prof. Apsel. We were actually out for a lebanese belly dance show last evening (no... don't raise your eyebrows... nothing of that sort :P) but we were unlucky enough to miss out as we reached late by 5 mins and the tickets were sold out :( Nevertheless, they decided to show me around campus and off we went to visit the lakeside. Bought few stuff to munch on from an undergraduate students run hot-truck and sat by the lake for about half an hour discussing tales of IIT, Cornell and the world in general. They then showed me one of the 2 gorges I mentioned earlier, and also showed me the beautiful view of the corresponding waterfall from the famed suspension bridge out here (Yes, we have a suspension bridge right here within Cornell :P) Then we went around campus admiring the beautiful sights on offer late in the evening. Sad I don't have a cam yet... but then Shashikant doesn't too :P so what the heck... Shall be receiving my first pay by May end... whereby I plan to buy one and share these beautiful sights on this blog. Keep checking :)

~Ta tas.

P.S. Might visit downtown Ithaca with Suresh and folks to watch Spidey 3 tonight.. or most probably this weekend. :) Man I love this life :P