6 things WAY more interesting than Indian television.

Some days are different. Some days are not.
Today, falls squarely into the second category.
You know the drill. Waking up at 9.30 a.m. and cribbing about being woken up too early, being a little late for a haircut appointment, sleeping, reading, SMS-ing, blog-surfing and then for lack of anything else left on the planet to do(except toilet-cleaning, of course), turning on the television.

Be it K-serials with villainous mothers-in-law plotting against their lamb-like daughters-in-law OR one of the ten million reality shows OR the music channels playing the same songs at periodic 30 minute intervals OR the sensationalist news channels, Indian television shows remind me instantly of that Roald Dahl poem (not-so-subtly) titled Television,
"IT ROTS THE SENSE IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!"



So here are 6 things I've found waaaaaaaaaay better than daring to watch TV here.
Why *only* 6, you ask? My lucky number? My birthdate? One-third the number of the devil?
All of the above, if you ask me.

Soooo, here goes.

1.Print this on a t-shirt and wear it all the time.

2.Read the book Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, one of the wittiest serious novels I've read on one of the most perverse subjects EVER. Wait, does that make me a pervert or an unbiased reader? Please please please, the latter.

3. Buy an acre of land on the Moon. Or Mars, for men, Venus, for women, if you want to stick to gender stereotypes created by an over-rated book Yes, you can really have property in The Sea of Tranquility! Completely useless, but so awesome, right? :)

4.See if what's written in your daily horoscope actually matches what's happening in your life today. Here's what mine says.

"June 30, 2010

Someone this morning may take up more of your time than you had hoped. The needs of someone special are strongly focused in your chart. It will be a very social evening."

Yeah, moving on. :/

5. Figure out all by yourself who REALLY has the "poker face". Lady Gaga, the world-famous pop singer or Annie Duke, the best female poker player in the world. See for yourself.

 6.  Try figuring out what to get your best friend for his 18th birthday. 

Buy an electric guitar? Too broke.

Buy a rare band t-shirt? Still as broke.

Buy the band itself? Just too broke for that.

Right now, I have just enough money to buy this.

Aaaaah, pathetic.

Guess I'll just go back to watching C.I.D Classics now, "12 years of Glory" not to miss.

Later. :)

Eh, what's up, doc?

I turned on my television today and Cartoon Network was showing some ooooooooold Bugs Bunny rerun! Damn, I miss cartoons! And now all I see on that channel are silly Japanese anime characters jumping around with voices dubbed in Hindi. :O

 Here's a throwback to the good old days! A few quotes from my favourite and not-so-favourite-but-of-course-I-still-used-to-watch it (read Spongebob Squarepants) cartoons!
These just never get old, and some actually do talk sense!

-My, I'll bet you monsters lead innnnteresting lives. - Bugs Bunny

-Isn't this great Squidward? Its just the 3 of us. You, me, and this brick wall you built between us. - Spongebob Squarepants

-I bet you say that to all the wabbits. - Bugs Bunny



-Jinkies! - Velma from Scooby Doo

-I'm so cold, I can use my nose drippings as chopsticks. - Spongebob Squarepants

-This city needs to be destroyed!!! Or at least painted another color. - Squidward


-Don't take life too seriously. You'll never get out alive. - Bugs Bunny

-Excuse me, sir, but you're sitting on my body, which is also my face. - Spongebob Squarepants

-If my friend Rocky was in this oven, do you think I would throw a lighted match in there?"

"Ahhhhh you might Rabbit, ya might."-Bugs Bunny

-I just thought of something even funnier than 24... 25! - Spongebob Squarepants

-Run Mr. Krabs! Run like you're not in a coma! - Spongebob Squarepants

         Aaaah, I wish I could add some more, but this looks so long already!

                             Sad face.

I'll settle for writing many more posts like this one! :)

And remember, 'mud' spelled backwards is 'dum'. - Bugs Bunny
:D

Unpigeonholed.

While I cry over increased auto-fares here in Mumbai that will burn a huge hole through my pocket, and you cry over England losing the match yesterday, this is what we really should be crying about.

Look what I read today on this site, global issues.org.

"24,000 children die around the world everyday.
 
That is equivalent to:

• 1 child dying every 3.6 seconds
• 16-17 children dying every minute
• A 2010 Haiti earthquake occurring almost every 9-10 days
• A 2004 Asian Tsunami occurring almost every 10 days
• An Iraq-scale death toll every 16–40 days
• Just under 9 million children dying every year
• Some 79 million children dying between 2000 and 2007"

I wrote this here to remind myself that my terrible migraine is not the most unsmiling problem in the world. The world's biggest problems do not fall on my tiny shoulders. Actually, no problems fall on my tiny shoulders at all. So, I need to shut the hell up. And just smile and sneeze and read and take Vasograine at periodic intervals.
Soooo yes, this definitely served as a grim reminder. Mission accomplished.

Moving on. To happier things, of course. :)

Argentinaaaaaaaaa beat Mexico 3-1, fair and square. Now anyone following my blog knows what a huge Argentina buff I am, so you can understand how absolutely delighted I was when I saw this in the morning paper.
Obviously, I'm not such a big fan that I would stay up and watch till 2 a.m. :P

But Yaaaaaay, Argentina now moves to the quearter finals of FIFA 2010!!

And also, it's Pride Week in many parts of the world today.
 And I'm proud to say that India is actually waking up to the "Against Section 377" community. The very fact that Azaad Bazaar exists in this city, (a LGBT-aimed store in Bandra somewhere) is not a baby step, it's a giant leap for an extremely orthodox country like India.
My country is turning liberal. 10 years into the 2nd millennium.
Unbelievable, but true. :)

Also, for some reason the Hall and Oates classic "You make my dreams come true" is stuck in my head now.
I don't know one person who doesn't love that song!

P.S. I had left this blog Saturday afternoon with 8 followers and was greeted by 11 today.
I love you all. :)

Bye bye now. *Aachoo!*
(Yes, I have a cold too. Aaaachoooo!)

By a 17 year old...

Warning by a 17 year old-
^^A moment of joy on the lips, an eternity of fat on the hips.
Who cares? I would kill to hog on some right now!

 Love from a 17 year old to R.E.M, who came up with these lyrics,
"Humming
All the way to Reno,
You've written your own directions
And whistled the rules of change."
This song has been in my head all morning! :)

Raised eyebrows of a 17 year old, on "feet shoes" that really made me cringe this morning!

A startled laugh by a 17 year old on seeing these Chow chow dogs painted to look like pandas!

 Thank you by a 17 year old, to the eight very cool people following my blog.
Have a great weekend! :)

Memory Chaser.

It's strange, what memory keeps and ruefully discards.
For example, I don't remember the time the top of my head didn't even reach the desk, or the time when I was on my toes craning to reach the doorbell and falling short.
And a lot of childhood memories that I do have, are derived from snapshots taken back then. Moments frozen beautifully in an innocent time, when if I fell down I could cry and scream, without looking around to see if anyone noticed.When I could apply shoe-polish on my face like cold cream. When chocolate could sinfully drip down my chin and people would say "How cute!" instead of "What a slob!" When "Eenie meenie miney mo" was the way to go when asked if the reasons for the economic slowdown were excessive liquidity, cheap credit or institutional deficiencies.

My episodic memory, is primarily made up of photographs, or certain startling moments, be it happy or sad, of certain words spoken, looks and tones. However, entire years have been blocked out of memory, almost as if they never happened.
For example- The school where I studied in IIIrd grade, St.Mary's School,Pune. Now, I remember just one school-life incident there. The day after tiny little me shook hands and took the autograph of Mr.Amitabh Bachchan, my headmistress(a super-duper Big B fan) asked me to give her that autographed sheet and I flatly refused! And I faintly remember studying about Helen of Troy and having to make as many words as I could from "Constantinople"! But strangely, I don't remember a single teacher, or friend I made while I was there.
I write this because a few months ago a girl from my IIIrd grade classroom reconnected with me saying she was my best friend there, and I didn't have the slightest memory of her! :O

I first felt guilty, and of course, it was an extremely awkward situation to be in, for all parties involved. But after I passed that nascent stage of "denial", I was very fascinated by the entire episode. ("Acceptance" :P)
I realised that a moment can mean a thousand different things. Indelible impressions can be left on people and places(graffiti!). And I suddenly understood the innate depth of a memory.

Footfalls echo in the memory
Down the passage which we did not take
Towards the door we never opened
~T.S. Eliot
I know I can't stop time. I can't capture light.
But I know I would love to delve deeper into my treasure chest of memories. In search of answers, however profound or silly.
Yes, I am staring at an abyss. Now will the abyss please stare back at me, Nietzsche?

Out of the Lexicon!

I've been thinking about this for the past few weeks now, and have FINALLY compiled a list of some of the most overused, and irritating words and phrases in the contemporary world of the oh-so-great English language. Move over cliches and redundancy. THIS is what gets on my nerves.

1. Just sayin'.
People think saying this at the end of a sentence cushions the blow. Like, "Your wife really has put on a lot of weight, and she is so rude to me whenever we meet. I hate her. Just sayin' "
Here's some news. It cushions no blows and punches.

2.My bad
That is supposedly a cool way of saying "my mistake". There are 2 ways you can go about this. Apologize like you mean it, or just keep quiet. Don't spill hot coffee on me and then say "My bad".

3.Uuuuuum\Hmmmm
 Right. Ummm, do I really need to explain this one? Hmmm?


4.Totally!
 We should "totally" meet up? Nah, I don't think so. And I read this online somewhere a few days ago. The impossible has happened. Totally has now been abbreviated to the much more annoying "totes"!!
Want to kill yourself? *totally* :(


5.LOL
Who're you kidding? You aren't laughing out loud! Hell, you aren't even smiling. Or thinking of smiling. In fact you might want to poke a pencil in the eyes of the person who said that joke, while you type LOL. Or Lolzzz. Or LOLCats. A simple "Haha" or "Now that made me laugh" will suffice. Take my word for it.

6.No offense..
You can bet that something very offensive is going to follow. There's also, "Don't take this the wrong way.." which is almost always followed by something insulting, but of course you aren't allowed to take it personally ;  you had been warned.

7. Oh no, YOU DIDN'T/ Talk to the hand
 Very very very few people can carry off "Talk to the hand" and even then, barely. There's this sassy head movement that always accompanies it, like in the movies. And no, you can't do it.
 No, no, you only think you can. But you can't.

8.Chillax 
 I cringe as I even write this word. I think now, I need to chillax.

9.Whatever
  This can mean a one of two things. It can show indifference, "I just won the lottery" "Yeah,whatever", or that you've lost an argument and can now feign indifference, "You just lost thirty bucks. You're so stupid!." "Whatever, man." Whatever is probably one of the most overused/downright stupid words/phrases I've heard. Yeah, whatever.

10.FTW
"Coffee" "Tea,dude!" "Coffee, FTW (for the win)"
Not so much, really.


Despite what you see above, I am no wordgriper or phrase disparager! I have made the above list by noting my somewhat irrational dislike to how often these words are repeated, often unnecessarily. There's nothing so much wrong with these condemned items ; they're just worn out from over-use.
 

P.S. Also on the list- Kthxbai, "like" when used instead of a comma, don't go there, it's my life.

P.P.S. I'm guilty of using "No offense", "Just sayin;" and "My bad". :P

MakeoveR!

Yay, a new design will be approved by our government today for the Indian Rupee.No more of writing Re. or Rs. before every Indian currency denomination. Today, we join the elite club of the US Dollar, British Pound Sterling, Euro and Japanese Yen that have a clear distinguishing identity. Cool, right? :)
 These are the 5 finalists. I didn't even know there had been such a contest going on! Apparently, it's been on since March last year! :0

 My vote is No.3, just for the visual appeal of it! I don't see how any of them represent the "historical and cultural ethos of the country", anyway.
My bets are on No.3. Let's see how I fare. :P

Btw, it was Messi's birthday yesterday! Messssssssssaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!! Maradona Hand of God's very own protege! Prediction No.2 for the day. Argentina will win the finals!
Here, watch a video of Baby Messi doing what he does best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS6nS8W0bOU&feature=player_embedded

P.S. Feeling a little blah-ish today, healthwise.

Later.

A Perfect Day. :)

Breakfast in the Cape of Good Hope, southwestern most spot of Africa. Warm currents from the Indian Ocean and cool Antarctic currents converge in this stunning spot whose happy name bestowed by John II from Portugal.
Rounding the cape suggested that a feasible sea route existed from Europe, around Africa, to India.

To comprehend the existence of 'moai' over lunch, which is what these Chilean statues on Easter Island are locally called.

 Maybe a quick trip to see these whirling dervishes in Turkey.

 Tea at Stonehenge, composed of several Neolithic monuments and burial mounds from 2500 B.C., in the small English county of Wiltshire.

A dream drive down Oregon's Highway 101 in this beautiful twilight!

A midnight horse ride past the famed ancient amphitheater Colosseum in Rome.

 

Home sweet home Mumbai!

Good Night. :)

To A Cynic.

A perfunctory hello. Or hi. Or namaste.
Are you dissatisfied with my greeting already? You're the cynic, you tell me.

You seem to revel in your state of cynicism, a remarkably distasteful quality in my eyes. I would like to know why, so I can understand you better.

My idealistic understanding of why you are a cynic is this. That your expectations from life, society and people are altogether too high, and reality terribly disappoints you. You have, for reasons ranging from dissatisfaction to being chic, thrown away the rose-tinted glasses with which you viewed existence.
Or is it your attempt to fit in, or stand out, by imitating contemporary sitcom-inspired sarcasm?
A Denny Crane amidst us Danny Tanners? If I were a cynic, which I'm most grateful I'm not, I would only smirk at the glibness of the sardonic antics I see on television.

Does cynicism provide short-term comic relief? Sure.
Who doesn't enjoy bitching, groaning, sniping once in a while?
But ultimately, it promotes the ideology that to crib and to be a slacker is just fine. "We're dissatified with the way things are, and we'll scream about it from our very comfortable leather sofas without moving a finger to drive change," seems to be your motto.You are brimming with blame for just about everything, pointing fingers shamelessly without once taking a look at the coward you yourself are. Yes, you hate hypocrisy, yes, you resist convenient lifestyle adjustments because that would make you a neither-here-nor-there realist, but don't you feel the need to be proactive too? Of course, you think and you watch and you scare the hell out of politicians, but don't you think you should act on your beliefs?

Now here is my cynical understanding of why you might be a cynic.
Because you are just not able to live up to the standards set in society. You may not wear the appropriate clothes, so you feel society is prejudiced against free will. You may not get the highest grades, so there must definitely be something wrong with the education system. You may lose at a game of chess, and then deem it an unfair play.
If this is why you are a cynic, I have two words for you. Buck up.
Because like it or not, this is the world where you need to live. You don't like it, start work on a space mission to another planet that supports life.
But of course, you won't do that either. You're a cynic. Too much work.You're not passionate enough to actually act, and you have too much integrity to partake in the injustice of hard labour for a brain of your calibre.

"All I ask of you is one thing: please don't be cynical. I hate cynicism - it's my least favorite quality and it doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen."
Conan O'Brien, Final words, January 22, 2010

Goodbye.
You're glad this is over, aren't you? Typical. :P

Lessons Learned Backwards.

"Time it was, and what a time it was, it was
A time of innocence, a time of confidences
Long ago, it must be, I have a photograph
Preserve your memories; They're all that's left you"

 I miss school life all of a sudden. Some weird withdrawal syndrome on leaving or something. I miss the people (even those I hated and laughed about and didn't really know), I miss the teachers (okay, that is just a lie in the guise of sentiment) and I miss the stupid staircase I had to climb up 4 floors of every morning (the biggest lie of them all).

These last 2 years, I learned a lot about people and the rules that apply in friendship.

And this is what I've come out with, after my high school craziness.

>That succumbing to peer pressure is just not worth the hassle, short term, and definitely not long term. No, you don't need a tattoo because 3 others got one, you'll still live if you don't have high-top Converse shoes, and it's okay to not be able to afford a 90 bucks coffee every day.

>I realized that the friendships I am most secure about today are those that have endured distance, prolonged silences, insane fights and simple, but long-standing misunderstandings. Sometimes just a text-message, or an old insider joke is enough to dissolve all differences. But you should be ready to put in a lot of heart into each friendship. Every person counts. Specially, in that inner circle.

> There are people I am more than happy to have out of my system, now that school and all the associated drama is over. Me being me, I look for a happy ending to all stories, but I also know that it is statistically impossible for me to please every person. And vice versa. I've made my peace with this fact. I'm happy in my space, and wish them happiness in theirs. No more.

>I feel extremely lucky I've met people who can tell me I'm fat, judgmental, bitchy, a midget, stupid and childish. My best friends. :)

>First impressions, surprisingly are sometimes,the most accurate impressions. You may know someone for the longest time, yet never really know them. I learned the not-so-nice way that people can disappoint, irritate, provoke and disgust you to the point of no return. And that my first instinct on meeting them was "Stay Awaaaaaay!".

>Sometimes, it's okay not to listen to the "friendly" advice given to you. In fact, that goes for most times. Credit yourself with more brains, than to mindlessly give in to others' opinions of you.

>Stories aren't coins. Of course, there are more than two sides to every story. Every person's unique way of spinning it, with their own dramatization and exaggerations. That may make you cry when you're in the middle of it sitting confused, but will also make you laugh at your blindness later. Rumors and gossip are only fun for a little while, that too when they're aimed at someone else. You forget you're hurting someone with your acerbic laughter.

>I suddenly realized how genuinely happy I sometimes am, when people beat all odds and people's sky-high expectations from them. Other times, I'm just shocked out of my chair and wish "Goddamnit, if he/she could do it, why not me?" Just being honest. :P

>The measure of a person's intelligence is not by his/her percentage in their school examinations. It's a measure of their hard work, consistency and tenacity at best. Intelligence can't really be quantified. And definitely not in the Indian education system, a temple of rote-learning and who-cares-if-you-really-understand-just-go-get-the-high-marks school of teaching.

>Having muscles, or money, or word-power, does not give you the right to think you are better than the next person. It's high time to get off that high pedestal you think you deserve, and it's time we stop putting you on one.

>When in doubt if you'll make it through high school, take inspiration from the Hogwarts school song-

"Just do your best, we'll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot."

Bridges have been burned, pages have been turned.

Lessons have been learned. :)

Vampires, don't kill me.

 

"The phone rang and I sprinted downstairs to get it. There was only one voice I wanted to hear; anything else would be a disappointment. But I knew that if he wanted to talk to me, he’d probably just materialize in my room."
Bella Swan, Twilight, Chapter 17, p.354

Wow, that IS profound. :/
To think that Ian McEvan and Haruki Murakami coexist in the same world as these big hair, white faced vampires!

My Mumma Strongest! :P

It was Father's Day yesterday, wasn't it? A nice heads up would've been nice! I wished my dad when I saw it in the morning paper. And then justified my not knowing by saying I don't care about Archies-and-Hallmark made up days! I mean, there is also a Potato day now!
But since, I'm here, I just want to say a huge Thank You to Papa, for being the person you are, and making me and my sister the way we are. For lack of anything else, I just got my dad "kacha mango"! :D

It was Father's Day yesterday, but the person we were celebrating in our family was my mom. Someone who cooks our meals early morning, works as a freelance interior decorator all day, and remembers everyone's medicines at night. If there is a Superwoman, that, in my eyes, is my mom.
Last night, she handed over the site she'd been working on for more than 6 months.
I'll do some before-after to show you how great it looks!

So, this was BEFORE....

 

And this is AFTER. :)

This is what their master bedroom looked like 6 months ago.

And THIS is what it looks like now!!!

Aaah, does my mom have magic in her hands or what?
We're all very proud of her.
Happy Father's day, Mumma. :)

Of Jizos and Sunsets.

Look, look, I have found possibly the prettiest door in the world!
Of course you're not excited about it, I mean who gets so happy over a door, but just look at it for ten whole seconds and I bet it will grow on you too. :)

That aside, my day has been less than eventful. Just one of those mundane days, where you wish like hell for something to happen, and wait for the clock ticking by to bring you Brad Pitt at your front door or the rains at the very least. But no, what happens instead, is that I text one of my friends Happy Birthday, text another to come back from Delhi at the soonest, yet another to teach me how to play the drums, and of course I also have a completely random conference call with an acquaintance I'm not even sure I like that much!
The highlight of my day has been watching Before Sunset.

Aaaaaah, when will I stop gushing over it!
It's romantic, it's real, it's honest, it's vulnerable, it's natural and it's funny.
My favourite romantic movie to date. :)
I'd actually thought of writing an entire movie review on it, but I have seen too little of cinema to write about it. So, I'm just going to stick to this opinion till I see something better in the genre. WAY better.

I also mention here my WTF moment of the day. The moment my eyes saw this.

                                                    Just in case you mistook them for actual Japanese midget monks at first glance, look here.

Spooky, right?
Located on the barren slopes of Chausudake Volcano, in Japan’s Tochigi Prefecture, hundreds of miniature Jizo statues are easily the eeriest spirit army that I've ever seen.
I mean, this is just messed up!! I might even get nightmares of these...uh,people?

Want to know what's also messed up? That pretty little door you saw at the beginning of the post, is actually a painting by a certain Ginger Cook. :/

What is up with this day? Too many random things are happening for my liking. I want to do something, be a part of something, not watching 90210, a show I positively detest.
'There are so many things I want to do, but I end up doing not much," Celine says in Before Sunset.
Well, ditto!

Later, then. :)

Sound of Silence.

                                           What can I say?
I love it. And I bet so will you.

High School 101

This time next month, I will, unbelievably, be in college. College has seemed like such a faraway dream all through school life. Referring to your teachers as Professor or Doctor So-and-so, a place where the typical high-school cliques of cool and uncool (hopefully) disappear, always had this unrealistic feel to it. College had this exciting ring to it, like it was a harbinger to a novel adventure.

At the same time, school life has been a whole lot of fun. Specially, high school since the two main operatives behind any action are hormones and ego. Life at R.N.Podar, the school I've passed out from was like 90210, Gossip Girl, FRIENDS and Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi all rolled into one fantastic 2 year roller coaster ride!
Here, I write a few things I'm going to miss about high school. Or not. :P

-Waking up at 5.30 a.m. every morning, is something I will definitely NOT miss. Then, listening to weird aunties gossiping at the bus stop. It's 5.30 for heaven's sake!! Even rabid stray dogs are quiet at that unearthly hour! So, SHUT UP!

-Being in 12th grade and still taking out the tiffin your mom packed for you, filled with oily parathas and spicy subzis. MLID. :P

-Laughing without any shame at certain accents, people's dressing sense, their weight gain, their acne, their hairy legs, their recently shaved faces, their misspelled words. Yes, high school brings out the worst in people, especially in terms of ruthless judgment. And, the annoying girls who said "sweets", "thankieee", "how is you?", "whateverrrr" and thought they were being cool. Yuck.

-The really cool guava-seller outside school who used to say, "Hard wala doon, masala laga ke?", every time I walked by! Oh, and of course Smaaardy frankie.

-Going for Maths tuition to a certain Mr. My-mimmi Raoa, passing idle chits all through those 2 hours, and emerging from that tiny classroom as tired as we would have been after a military drill! Then hanging out at  the nearest Dominos or CCD or Barista, and innocently telling your parents, "God, I'm so tired, he took such a long class!" No surprise, I got 62 in Maths in my Boards!

-Certain teachers have left an indelible image on all our minds. Whenever I see a short-haired woman, or a South Indian woman walk past me, I am invariably reminded of my crazy Accounts teacher and weird-ass Economics teacher, and I check to see if my shirt is tucked in properly, and my hair neatly tied!

- Studying alongside a national level TT player, a one-time National Award winner, a guy who gets a Mercedes for his birthday coz the Audi was unavailable, a girl with photographic memory and the best dancer in school. Good times. :)

-Doing the beer mug sign/passing chits/poking/scribbling/crying/dancing with Haren Paul Rao sitting on the first bench, right in front of our absolutely psycho maths teacher! :D

-Typing out R.N.Podar on Google Images and seeing this VERY embarrasing picture of me on the first page itself will NOT be missed. :/

For the record, I was part of some silly fashion thing and these girls were dressing me up with crap. Tragic.

-Making friends, losing friends. Becoming friends with them again, only to fight with them once more. If nothing else, added a whole lot of colour to these 2 years.

-Passing by the Science section and see walking-talking stereotypes of science nerds, and judging the Commerce section the "coolest". The huge glasses, the properly tucked in shirts, pants worn chest-high, the science guys inability to get girls, the science girls with moustaches. Haha, that just never gets old!

High school, all in all, has been one of the best experiences of my life. :)

One day, I will be famous!

Haha, now THIS is my Bible!

When words don't spill.

Confession. I almost decided to stop writing today.
And I'm not sure why myself. Maybe it's just the scary lightning that got me into this mood.
This isn't writer's block (I'm not narcissistic enough to have that yet), it's plain simple insecurity.
I fear I'm not good enough at this, that I'm unable to get my message across to many.
I've been thinking of this for the past 2 hours now.

But it's 8 p.m. I've had enough sad thoughts for the day.
Time to defeat this inertia and see some of my words on my laptop screen. Time to convince my primal brain stem that all this negativity is me being teenager-typical melodramatic. Time to reassure myself that my brain isn't decomposing into tiny shreds of its former robust self. Time to believe I was a Renaissance humanist, or a poet from Atlantis in a previous life.
Time to convince myself that I am NOT a zombie from the twilight zone; that my writing does not put insomniacs to sleep!


I look up from my mundane passage and observe what's happening around. My sister is splashing around in puddles, my mom is watching the "News at 8" on some channel, dad's wondering why he supported Denmark and not Netherlands today. Noone else is consumed in this pathology they call writing. While everyone else is relaxing at the end of a busy Monday, I stare into an abyss.

ENOUGH!!!!
I need to get out of this yo-yo bullcrap. Yesterday!
I have ideas, good ideas, the words are in me, so come what may, I shall write. My sentences ARE more interesting than what I read on the label of Minute Maid Pulpy Orange Juice in front of me.
So, I'm just dipping my toe now, and jumping. Into the familiar world of filling words onto an empty page.
And guess what?
The water's fine. I don't really have a choice, do I?
I will continue to write in my little corner in cyberspace.:)

:)

If you're reading this, I'm here for you.
Always will be.
I understand things, even when you think I don't.
So, relax. Things are good, and won't become bad again.
I promise.

Smile. And get some sleep now. :)

To A Stranger.

Hey there, stranger.
I'm calling you X, obviously to make your story more enigmatic.
I'd like to know your name, and know more about you. And I'll tell you why in a second.
But for now, hi. :)

You never get a second chance to make a first impression, is one of those things I've heard too often to count. I just realized that I always arrogantly believed my intuition about people based on how my first interaction with them. The quickness of that first smile, the accent, the clothes you wear etcetera etcetera.
A spur-of-the-moment judgment I make of you, marred by microsecond subconscious attempts to match you with others in my life.

You haven't ever spoken to me or met me, but I have seen you and heard you. You've made an impression on me. Your stance, your hairstyle, your look, your tone, your words have reminded me of someone who has behaved like a jerk with me. Yes, unfortunately, my first impression of any one person is always one of skepticism. And so, my first impression of you is that you,X, will be yet another jerk.

But, wait. First impressions aren't permanent, are they?
I'm thinking that just by making this on-the-spot judgment of you,based on my not-so-nice prior experiences, I'm the jerk here.
For all I know, you may be the nicest person in the world, and may turn out to be one of the most important people in my life. So I'm going to review my entire experience of you right now. I see now that there is room for doubt, and my first impression of you was just based on my preconceived notions and life experiences. But you deserve better than that. You deserve to be judged with an open happy mind, and I shall strive to see the best in you now onwards.
So, I've decided to take the time to understand you, rather than misunderstand you from the get-go.

I write all this, because I realised today that every friend of mine was once a stranger to me. And I love my friends, and am there for them, come what may.
And hey, if you turn out to be the jerk I originally thought you were, then lucky for you, I believe in second chances. Guess I'm just a silver-lining kind of girl.

That's why I want to know you.
If you don't want to talk to me right now, then talk when you want to. Coz I want to all about you.
Just tell me your name first. Calling you X is getting lame. :P
Bye, X. :)

Gypsy Blooded Me.

Let me tell you something about myself.
I'm quite possibly the most restless and impatient person you'll meet. If I'm just sitting somewhere waiting, I'll be minutely observing every detail of the room and people around, while skimming idly through three-month old sports magazines. I hate sitting at home and killing time by flipping channels and landing upon an old Bollywood movie named "Meri Biwi ka Jawab Nahi". :/

Maybe this whole restlessness thing has something to do with my nomadic childhood.
Let's take a look at  the statistics.
I'm 17 years old. I have lived in 6 cities.(Vijaywada, New Delhi, Coimbatore, Pune, Kolkata, Mumbai.) I have studied in 9 schools. I have traveled with my family to numerous places in India, and then some abroad. And, as a child, I had a penchant for getting lost at airports and shopping malls!
Is that what makes me so restless in one place? The aforementioned psychological baggage from all that moving around as a kid?
Is that what spurs on my love for travelling and exploring?
What is is that drives me to wander? What engenders this desire to discover a new place?


Honestly speaking, I don't care much for the reasons why . I'm no Freud, and even if I was, he said that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar too.

I guess it's just the innocent joy in rambling around and chancing upon the hidden waterfall, or the brown monkey that excites me so much.


When I start earning, these are the places I'd love to visit.
Iceland, Greece, Nigeria, Egypt, Peru and Italy.

And of course, I'll be humming "Where the Streets Have No Name" all the way there. :)

The wanderlust inside me can't be ignored today.
Today, I want to soar.
Even if it's just in Andheri, whose population, by the way, is more than that of Greenland!

P.S. I got admission into the B.B.A program at N.M.I.M.S, which was my first preference. Could I be happier? :)

Morning Yearning

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqbcV39Sq1o

This is my favourite Ben Harper song, and definitely on my list of the top 50 songs. It's called Morning Yearning and is from his album Both Sides of the Gun.

This video was directed by one of my screen favourites Heath Ledger (R.I.P.), and that is the video you will really fall in love with.
Nonetheless, it's a beautiful song. Genuine, and you'll feel like you've just been tightly hugged after listening to it.

My favourite lines from the song-

"The world awakens on the run
And will soon be yearning
With hopes of better days to come
It' s a morning yearning"

I'm unable to embed the video onto my blog, but if you're reading this, you'd be insane not to go watch the video!
Play on. :)

Night : Book Review

I'll be honest.
'Night' was a hard book for me to read. The language was simple, almost too simple which made it all the more compelling. The writing was intense, stark, terrifying, moving.

"That night the soup tasted of corpses."  Eliezer's comment after he has witnessed the agonizing death of the child who was hanged. 

In fact, there were times when I questioned the veracity of the statements made, but I knew they were seemingly impossible but true facts. Facts that cannot, should not be questioned.
The Holocaust had happened. Less than a hundred years ago. People had been killed, had suffered unmentionable atrocities. By the end of the Nazi regime, 2 out of every 3 European Jews had been tortured and killed.
"Night" is the story of Elie Wiesel, a man who survived.

"Men to the left! Women to the right! 
Eight words spoken quietly, indifferently, without emotion. Eight short, simple words. Yet that was the moment when I parted from my mother."

It is the true story of a 15 year old who lost his parents and sister in the concentration camps, who lost the immense faith he held in God, who turned on his own family following his inherent instinct to survive himself. It is a story of remembering the travesties of that dark time, that demands that the reader never succumb to conveniently forgetting what civilised humans are capable of, how much they can make others suffer, how much pain they can choose not to see.

"Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. 
Never shall I forget that smoke.
Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky.
Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever.
Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live.
Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself.
Never."

These are probably the most powerful and cogent words in 20th century literature.
The sheer magnitude of the importance of this slim volume can't be limited to words. But this is what I came away with after reading those words.
    That I'm still in a state of disbelief that people could be brainwashed to such a level, in the 20th century. Even more disturbing, the fact that the civilised world calmly looked on as it happened.
   That the world didn't learn enough lessons in humanity, because the genocide in Rwanda, bloody conflict in  Sudan and global terrorism is still reality.
   That I'm amazed at the impossible courage of people who survive the harshest of human crimes.

This book is definitely not a light read. I'm sure no one really enjoys reading about unspeakable violence and inhumanity on a Saturday night, unless of course, you're a sadist of the worst kind.

However, this is a book that must be read.
To keep the memory alive, and to learn that surviving the darkest phases of life requires proactive work and a little more than just candle-lit hope.

I'm happy and I know it! :)

Random achievements, big and small, since the last time I wrote here:-

• I ate an entire Spa omelette (3 egg whites with a variety of chicken toppings, with hash brown and toast) at Theo Bromas, and STILL had the appetite for a delectable chocolate pastry!
• I discovered I can actually stand in a line when I really need to. Like to submit college forms or to get a burger at McD.
• My name is 22nd on the first list of N.M.I.M.S Economics Honours course, my second preference course at my most preferred college. With a score of 52 on the entrance exam, I got 77.25 total, which means I scored 25.25 on my personal interview. Haha, awesomeness!
• My name is 39th on the first list Symbiosis School of Management Studies B.B.A course, which was never really an option, but so cool anyway!
• I mailed this lady from the CRY India organisation requesting to volunteer, and she sent me this.

Dear Nitisha

Thank you for your email. There is no standard format to apply to volunteer at CRY and it was really nice to read about your committment to Children's Rights and why you are opting to spend some of your time volunteering.

To join in, you need to attend a volunteer orientation. We usually have one every month, after which you can join a volunteer group and get into the action. Most of that work happens on the weekend and is adjustable as per your schedule.

I've added your email id to my database and shall email you once we fix the date for the next orientation

Regards

Havovi

^^That just feels nice. :)

Bombay rains are here, and in the midst of the dreary weather, my life is shining bright today.
I'm just happy that I'm making something happen in my life, and not just sitting still and looking on.

And today, I had really cheap Indian-Chinese food in the rain, and good coffee after the longest time. One of my favourite days this year.

"So live your dream beneath the northern horizon
Be at peace, set your heart in flight again
For the light is truth...
The light is you..."
(A song I love from Anathema's new album.)

I raise a toast...

...to the fact that it finally rained last night. Okay, it drizzled, but first rain is always nice,no matter how acidic.

...to the crap new song on the radio I seem to like.
...to Elie Wiesel, whose masterpiece Night, kept me awake till 4 last night.

...to the fact that I try to write atleast once a day, no matter how dead my day, or mind is.
...to Anathema, who came out with a beautiful and "happy" album after the longest time.
...to the Black Forest pastry I'm dying to eat.

...to the tension surrounding college admissions, that I want no part of.
...to questions, which are infinitely more important than answers.
...to hypocrites, who can't help but be so. Yes, I am one, on more than one occasion.
...to a chilled glass of Coke, the way to my heart.

...to people who write, who make music and who dance. For the right reasons.