Incoherence.

Your Blog Should Be Orange

Your writing has a star quality - it's charming, bold, and flamboyant.
You write what's on your mind, without fear of embarrassment later.
You are one of the most honest bloggers around, and people appreciate your daring persona.

     
Yes, I took a random quiz AGAIN on this site "blogthings.com".
Sad, I know.

On the bright side, I finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. FINALLY! The story is too long and complicated for me to write a book review and do justice to it, so don't expect one. All I'll say is that dysfunctional, anorexic, under 5 feet Lisbeth Salander is the most original, intriguing and might I add, the coolest female protagonist in decades!!!

Aaaaaand, I got a new phone. A Nokia E72! :) :) :)
Shit, shit, no more smileys.
But as one of my abnormally tall friends reminded me, "No smileys here, you are a big girl.":P

And this is completely random.
But I've been thinking about it for almost a week now. There isn't a word for "being smiled at". (Is there?) Atleast I haven't found it.
I think there should be, don't you? :)

Btw, I was thinking about the state of Indian advertisements today. I have one word for them. Rubbish.
Neither do they get the shadow of their point across, nor do they make even the slightest sense. At the end of the ad you're left wondering why you didn't go blind and deaf before that torture was inflicted upon you! Like the one where chimpanzees are jumping around in bright red underwear and then the tagline is "Yeh toh bada toing hai". What the hell is THAT all about?
To think so many of these people are IIM graduates. :/
I remember reading this Ayn Rand quote somewhere once, "Money demands that you sell, not your weakness to men's stupidity, but your talent to their reason."
They should chew on that for a while.

Did you know that Albert Einstein was offered the Israeli presidency and he turned it down?
Or that the first recorded account of plastic surgery is in ancient Indian texts?

THIS is what I write about when I feel I am running out of blog ideas. I refuse to put my name at the end of a blank blog post, and I refuse to go on a writing sabbatical as well.

If you have got to the end of this blog post, please suggest ideas on what to gift someone on their 18th birthday! :P

Word out. :D

Paan on Provogue.

Something weird and senselessly funny and absolutely 100% disgusting happened yesterday.
I was going to drop my sister for her dance class. In an auto-rickshaw.
Yes, I still use them despite the hue and cry about increased auto fares coz -
1.You don't need to stand at one place for more than 5 minutes before one stops right in front of you.
2.They are able to wiggle their way through crazy Bombay traffic with ease.
3.The occasional auto might even have a radio and you can hear the latest Bollywood songs at their screeching horrendous best.

But, I digress.
What happened, in a (betel) nutshell, was this. Sana and I were in the moving auto. Less than 30 seconds into our drive, someone just spat paan.
No, not on the street. I'm not saying that would have been the best thing in the civic sense, but it was infinitely preferable to what really happened.

(For those who don't know what paan is, here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paan
Although, no Wikipedia can tell you what paan really is and tastes like unless you've seen it made in the deepest trenches of this country.)

That chewed up, red paan with its teaspoonful of saliva and semi-chewed betel nuts, found its way onto my new Provogue t-shirt. And my favourite pair of Levis.

"Ugh. Yuck. Yucccccccccccccck. :(
Why??
Who would do something like this?
What the hell?????
Do we live in the land of the uncivilized uncouth insane?"

Of course, I dropped off Sana at her dance class, vented at my best friend and trudged back home for an hour long shower.

I don't get it. This whole paan-spitting thing.
Is this the mighty God of the Betel Nuts avenging my lifelong dislike towards paan? 

I've had it once or twice. It doesn't really taste that bad. But something that requires the consumer to spit a brick-coloured slime and leaves a blackish-red tinge in your mouth, just grosses me out.
Of course, you don't always have to spit it out. Please please please just swallow that paan. Discolor your teeth and not the walls.
Everything in India is covered with paan spit. We're almost acclimatized to its sight on walls and roads and public schools and almost anywhere else.In fact, I've lived in Kolkata too. Paan-spitting is now an intricate art form there. "How far? How much?" etcetera etcetera.

To think Indians generally consider their personal hygiene and neatness a prerequisite for all sacrosanct endeavors and rituals.

Thoo. :P

To You.

My blog has crossed the 20-follower mark. In just a little over 2 months.
I'm happy.
Really happy. :)

Here are a few things you should know about me.
Haha, come to think of it, why should you? Why should you be reading this post at all? You could be struck down by lightning in the next few seconds, but you're here. And so you deserve to know a little about the person who writes this blog.

My parents have given me a great life, in every which way. I'm not riddled with any anxieties or insecurities. Basically, I'm a happy person.

I don't know how I feel about the death penalty. I consider it cruel, inhuman and degrading most times.Then a Kasab or a Saddam Hussein comes along, and I feel they're getting what they deserve. So, I don't have a stock answer on that one.

I highly doubt the existence of God or a superior being. And I have mixed feelings about religion.
I'm happy that both of the aforementioned work for some. Most, rather.
I know I can't live my life with the illusion of someone making sure my future is all right. I'm a believer of the randomness of life. I try to be a good person. That's my yardstick, not a threat that I'll go to hell.

I have this silly fear of speaking in public. Maybe I'll write about that in a future post.

It is difficult for me to answer the introspective classic, "Who am I?". I hate saying I'm trying to find myself; that would imply that my identity had been lost along the way.
Another reason why I love writing so much. It helps me uncover more about myself. Every time I write honestly, I know I have put in one more piece of my identity jigsaw puzzle right.

I believe in trying to elevate my life to fall in line with standards that are my own, not those made by others.

I am not a Barbie Doll. I don't aim to have a size-zero figure and spend all my free time thinking, "Should I buy those great stilettos?" or "Oooh, that handbag will look so great with that dress."

Reading literature has expanded my world, and opened my mind to myriad cultures. Books have made me what I am, in ways even I'm not sure.

There, now you know a few random facts about me.
This is the person whose blog you read.

Thank you for accepting me for the person I am.
Love. :)

Anicca.

I'm a big fan of The Beatles, but no, I don't "long for yesterday".
I'm a big fan of Barack Obama, and yes, I long for change.

I'm waiting for college to begin. Something new. Fresh. Exciting.
Yes, I'm sure the novelty will wear off in a month. Still.
It's better than just killing time at home.

I remember making all these plans last year, while I was trying madly to understand Calculus and never did.
I will go here with my friends after my Board exams, I will go there, I will go everywhere.
When was the last time we all met as a group?
At a not-so-interesting birthday party.
We've all sort of lost touch with what's happening in each other's lives. Yes, the occasional "What's up?" message is sent and duly replied to, but that's barely a shadow of what our crazy high-school years were. Did I not make the right friends? Did I not make the requisite effort that goes into maintaining a friendship? Didn't they? Did I change? Did they?

Makes me wonder on the finiteness and impermanence of everything. Be it the quantity of food on your plate, friendships, or even life.
I'm not religious or spiritual myself, but I like what the Buddhists say about impermanence. They call the concept Anicca, which says that "impermanence is an undeniable and inescapable fact of human existence from which nothing that belongs to the earth is ever free."

I've studied Biology till tenth grade. I know enough about cell division to know that it takes place continuously in our bodies. Old cells die, new are born.
Seeds turn into plants, plants turn into trees.
Water turns to vapour.
Science is on my side too(for once!). Of course, change is inevitable.
It would be a lie to say that you love or hate something in exactly the same way, for exactly the same reasons, all your life.

I enjoy the finiteness of things.
It leaves the possibility for something new.

P.S.The only realm where I cherish infinite-ness, is when experts debate about the origin of the universe. Knowing that it really is infinite, would be kinda cool. :)



"That's it! You people have stood in my way long enough. I'm going to clown college!"
-Homer Simpson. 
:D

10 things I love.

1.Mentally stimulating conversation, peppered with wit and humour.

2.Those 2 year old jeans I refuse to give up coz they fit so right. Levis rules! :)

3.Hershey's Dark Chocolate.
  Lindt dark chocolate is a close runner up, along with Bournville.

4.Twinings' Green tea with lemon. I love the delicate taste of it. And it has all these antioxidants which will keep me looking young. I'm 17, so of course I'm worried about wrinkles. :D

5. Black and white photographs. I'm just fascinated by black and white anything, photographs, paintings, album covers, zebras, you name it!

6. I absolutely love nice inscriptions on the first pages of a book. Inscriptions are always a nice gesture.:)

7. I watched the Woody Allen classic, Annie Hall today and fell in love with it, head over heels. La-dee-dah!
"Love is too weak a word for what I feel - I luuurve you, you know, I loave you, I luff you, two F's, yes I have to invent, of course I - I do, don't you think I do?"

8. The prospect of the world ending in 2012. Haha, really. Be it coz of some defect in the CERN particle accelerator, the Chinese Book of Changes predictions coming true or the Yellowstone volcano blowing up. That gives me just one and a half more years of life. To laugh or not to laugh at the minuscule possibilities of the above. :P

9.A mug of freshly brewed, properly ground and properly brewed coffee and I have attained nirvana.

10. A book that doesn't lose its way. That keeps me hooked beginning, middle and end. A book that doesn't make me want to keep it down, even for a second. A book that makes me ignore my mom's tenth call to eat dinner. That kinda book.

Let it rain.

"...These are the seasons of emotion and like the winds they rise and fall
This is the wonder of devotion - I see the torch we all must hold.
This is the mystery of the quotient - Upon us all a little rain must fall."

These are the lyrics to The Rain Song, one of my favourites by Led Zeppelin.
Also, this is my favourite "I'm too old for *Rain, rain go away, Come back another day*"  song. :P

Why do I love it? I don't know. I just always have.

Rain is an enigma, a symphony, a powerful force, a lifegiver.

I love how rain can almost always prove you wrong. You may be angry or frustrated and you angrily walk out into the rain, hoping for some sort of understanding,denial or absolution. Like the gray clouds and the tiny puddles will give you answers. But before that earth-shattering moment occurs, you are drenched. Completely. Not just by the droplets, but by the smell of rain, and what it does to the environment around you. The rain commands your attention. It's just you and the rain now. No, you don't want to attain nirvana, like you first thought in your fit of chagrin. All you want is to roll around in the mud. You want to stomp around in puddles like noone's watching. You want to love, laugh, live. (Those last three words are copied off my red Converse chappals!).

You can crib about the traffic jams and the floods all you want. I do, too. 

But you just cannot deny the beauty of this weather. Raindrops falling elegantly on the black asphalt of your potholed road. The exquisite smell of wet mud. The long walk with no umbrella over your head. The element of surprise as it suddenly stops. The glimpse of a rainbow.

I just had great masala tea with raindrops falling intermittently on my shoulder. Hence, this whole "I love the rains" rant, in case you were wondering. :P

Do I idealize the rains? Call it a genetic defect, that I love. :)

"Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby."
-Langston Hughes

Prejudice.

The meaning of "Prejudice" in Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary.

"Pronunciation: \ˈpre-jə-dəs\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin praejudicium previous judgment, damage, from prae- + judicium judgment

Date: 13th century

2 a (1) :preconceived judgment or opinion (2) : an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge b : an instance of such judgment or opinion c : an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics"

The first time I encountered the word was, with great enthusiasm, in the Jane Austen classic.
And it is a word I don't like associated with my general outlook on life. Purely because it categories my beliefs and interests, and stunts my already-challenged growth. Ian Smith is prejudiced, Theodore G. Bilbo is prejudiced. Not me. Calling me that automatically makes me narrow minded, short-sighted, ignorant, hypocritical, cynical and someone with an illiberal world view.

So I don't enjoy science fiction. Or action flicks. Or Bollywood comedies. Or game zones in shopping malls. Or tomatoes.
These aren't my predujices. These are my conscious choices. I understand how some people love all of the above, and will fight till they die on how it all makes perfect sense in their world.
I'm happy for them. More than happy. Not too many things in the world entertain, or make sense, anyway.
That doesn't mean the same things have to hold my attention span for that much time.

I'm not condescending by nature. Hardly even sarcastic.
And I am not too 'busy' with my prejudices to understand the brilliance of science fiction.
So, dont say that next time.

The Four Letter word.

Be honest, and stop being so uptight.
We all use it, don't we? Maybe not everyday, but maybe once in a week. If you're a little shy, once in a month probably! You say it to a friend, girlfriend/boyfriend, sister/brother, colleague, domestic help, even your plumber sometimes.
So c'mon, admit that you say it. Or at least think of it in your mind, coz saying it out loud may lead to somewhat awkward social situations occasionally. You might offend the person you say it to in some way. You might just ruin the friendship you had.

I just found out that the word goes back to the very roots of the English language. In fact. it's been recorded in writings as early as 8th century B.C. The meaning of the word changes not only from person to person, but from century to century. The word is now part of our daily dictionary, when earlier saying it out loud, would be like a game of hide-and-go-seek!
So, no one can really fault you for its having found its way into your vocabulary.

**** you, my 12 followers!
Insulted?
Why? I was talking of the word LOVE all along!
What were you thinking? :P

Now let me go enjoy my butter chicken!
Have a great weekend. :)

The Way to my heart.

No, it's not food. Or apple juice. Or music. Or a glass of chilled Coke. Or even dark chocolate.
The way to my heart is books.

Someone I know did this a while ago, and it worked really well for her, so I will shamelessly do the same.
I will scream from rooftops, through my blogposts, status updates etc., that my birthday is on 6th January.
Yes, yes. My 18th birthday.
And, I will make a big huge enormous mammoth gigantic deal about it, just because I want a lot of books!!!

1.Beyond Good and Evil- Friedrich Nietzsche
2.Enduring Love-Ian Mcewan
3.The Comfort of Strangers-Ian Mcewan
4.Black Dogs-Ian Mcewan
5.Vanishing Point- David Markson
6.Kafka on the Shore – Haruki Murakami
7.The Wind-up bird Chronicle- Haruki Murakami
8.Summertime-J.M.Coetzee
9.Youth-J.M.Coetzee
10.Leviathan-Paul Auster
11.The Metamorphosis and Other Stories-Franz Kafka  (Got it!)
12.Life of Pi-Yann Martel
13.The Reader – Bernhard Schlink
14.The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams.
15. The World According to Garp – John Irving
16. Life: A User’s Manual – Georges Perec
17.The Silence of the Lambs-Thomas Harris.
18.Wall and Piece- Bansky.
19.Death is not an option:Stories-Suzanne Rivecca
20. Invisible-Paul Aster
21.The New York Trilogy-Paul Aster
22.Jonathon Livingston Seagull-Richard Bach
23.On Beauty-Zadie Smith
24.The End of Innocence-Moni Mohsin
25. Disgrace- J.M.Coetzee

These are the ones off the top of my head.
So, if anyone's listening, please buy at least one of these for me!! :) :)

Quote-Hanger

 I never seem to tire of quotes, well written passages, notes, comments, wordplay and the like. Certain times, these words expose the vulnerability of humanity, their power, their love and their faith.And these are the words that I love the most.

Carpe diem! Rejoice while you are alive; enjoy the day; live life to the fullest; make the most of what you have. It is later than you think. Horace(Ancient Roman poet :65 BC-8BC)

Don't tell me God works in mysterious ways. There's nothing so mysterious about it. He's not working at all. He's playing. That's the kind of god you people talk about - a country bumpkin, a clumsy, bungling, brainless, conceited, uncouth hayseed. How much reverence can you have for a Supreme Being who finds it necessary to include such phenomena such as phlegm and tooth decay is His divine system of creation? What in the world was running through that warped, evil, scatalogical mind of his when he robbed old people of the power to control their bowel movements?
- Yossarian, in Catch 22.

We thought that we had the answers, it was the questions we had wrong.
Bono
I write to understand as much as to be understood.
Elie Wiesel

Open your eyes, Clevinger. It doesn't make a damned bit of difference who wins the war to someone who's dead.
Yossarian, in Catch 22.




We're the middle children of history. No purpose or place. We have no great war, no great depression. Our great war is a spiritual war, our great depression is our lives.
- Brad Pitt as 'Tyler Durden', Fight Club



If you wake up at a different time, in a different place, could you wake up as a different person? - The Narrator, Fight Club
                        (^^Damn, I love that movie!)

Stupid as a man, say the women: cowardly as a woman, say the men. Stupidity in a woman is unwomanly.
Friedrich Nietzsche  
 

Duty is the sublimest word in our language. Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more. You should never wish to do less.
- Robert E. Lee

All truth is simple... is that not doubly a lie?
Friedrich Nietzsche


Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
- William Butler Yeats, 1899
Everybody wants to be somebody; nobody wants to grow.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass.
Maya Angelou