ThirdCultureKid

Infinity

2012-02-11T21:22:00.002-06:00

This poem has been long overdue (background of the poem can be found here).

When you dream about
your childhood, each scene
seems to stretch out
before you. For instance,
when you drove with your
dad on a trip through the
southern parishes, fields of
cotton and of rice appeared
without end. A single summer
day could last a generation;
morning swims extend the whole
day beside a pool; your
fingers papery and wrinkled.
It goes on and on like
this: sugar cone and popsicles
and your smelly wet dog
onward onto infinity.

- Robin B.

Dreams

2012-01-23T21:41:00.000-06:00

You have the big dreams and the small. Most remain petty reminders of when hopelessness wasn't a factor. What do you do when your dreams become meaningless, for you, everything about you that you ever believed in, and everything you wanted to believe in? What do you do when looking out the window doesn't make you feel like there's something bigger and better out there you want to be a part of? What do you do when all you wish for is that the world ignores you and your presence? What do you do when you want someone to notice but you still continue to paint yourself with the paint of invisibility? Do you give up again? Do you dare to hope? Or do you let it rest for now, one last time and always one last time?
Your thoughts?

I like guns.

2011-12-22T23:30:00.000-06:00

I went shooting with Plackis's elder sister, Christie, today. Christie is in the US Army.
She first taught me how the basics of weapon-handling. Barrel checking, safety, magazine loading and unloading, how to hold the weapon properly, stance, and aiming.
We started with a Walther p22 gun (it's .22 barrel hand gun). Once we finished the rounds on that, she got a 9mm hand gun.
Christie learnt how to shoot with a 9mm, and it is her favorite kind of hand gun. I wasn't very comfortable with it. It was heavy for me, and the kick kind of made me uneasy. I did fire one round, just to get a feel of it. I didn't want to not try it.
She fired a few rounds on the 9mil and then she got another .22 for me to try. This time it was a Sig P226R. It looked, and felt, like the 9mil she had gotten previously, but I was a lot more comfortable with that.
I fired all 30 rounds :D

Much as I love sword-fighting and fencing, I realized today I like shooting too. Now that I'm comfortable with the smallest caliber bullet, I will next try a .45 gun. When I have the arm strength for it, I will practice with the 9mil. I look forward to the day I can shoot comfortably with a 9mil Beretta (it's the usual military hand gun in the States. It's what Christie learnt to shoot with, and she says it's good).

Adapt or Abandon?

2011-11-27T17:22:00.001-06:00

The thing with moving to new places is that you learn more about yourself than you would have had you stayed where you were.
One of those things being whether you adapt or abandon.
What do I mean?
Adapt = you hold on to the way of life you had before but you only make those changes that are necessary to your new life.
Abandon = you start a new book in your life. A brand new book.
There is a middle-ground here. I just don't know what it is. Yet.

PS: Happy Birthday Pai!

One of Those Days

2011-11-15T01:28:00.001-06:00

One of those days when...

you just want to belt out Kishore Kumar or Mohammed Rafi tracks.
you want to walk around aimlessly, sometimes skipping, sometimes running, but it's too cold out.
punching something to the point of exhaustion is a great idea.
soda makes a better drink than water.
the thought of eating doesn't seem to sit quite well.
you want to be around people, yet don't want them to say a word.
all you want is a long bone-crushing hug, and all you get is chocolate.
putting on a bandaid is mildly comforting.

It's just one of those days when tomorrow is your salvation, rather than just another day.

LOTR - FotR

2011-11-04T23:52:00.004-06:00

My favorite quotes from the movie (extended version). The ones in bold are the ones I like best.

Bilbo: I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.

Aragorn: Gentlemen, we do not stop till nightfall.
Pippin: What about breakfast?
Aragorn: You've already had it.
Pippin: We've had one, yes. What about second breakfast?

Merry: What do they eat when they can't get hobbit?

Arwen: What's this, a Ranger caught off his guard?

Arwen: It is mine to give to whom I will, like my heart.

Legolas: This is no mere Ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance.

Aragorn: Whether by my life or death I can protect you, I will.

Pippin: Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of Mission. Quest. Thing.
Merry: Well, that rules you out Pip.
Elrond: Nine Companions. So be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring.
Pippin: Great! Where are we going?

Gandalf: Many that live deserve death, and some who die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo?

Gandalf: There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides evil. Bilbo was meant to find the ring, in which case you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought.

Boromir: They have a cave troll.

Boromir: Gandalf's death was not in vain, nor would he have you give up hope. You carry a heavy burden Frodo. Don't carry the weight of the dead.

Galadriel: ...for in all lands now love is mingled with grief.

Galadriel: Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.

Legolas: Lembas. Elvish way bread (takes a bite).One small bite is enough to fill the stomach of a grown man.
Merry (to Pippin): How many did you eat?
Pippin: Four

Pippin: It's working!
Merry: I know it's working. Run!!

Sam: I made a promise Mr. Frodo. A Promise. "Don't you leave him Samwide Gamgee." And I don't mean to. I don't mean to.

Aragorn: Let's hunt some orc.

Sam: We may yet Mr. Frodo. We may.

Can't think of an appropriate title..

2011-10-31T01:02:00.000-06:00

And it makes me sad, every time you say goodbye
but it makes me look forward to every time you will say 'hi'.
All those times I couldn't look you in the eyes,
a small part of me momentarily turned to ice.
Even if I wanted to, I can't say it,
not even bit by tiny bit,
how I feel, how I wish you feel.
----------
I'm not sure how to continue this. It seems like a good place to stop. For now. First attempt at heroic couplet. It's harder than it looks, rhyming. For me anyway.

Happy Hallows Eve people!

Oops.

2011-10-21T14:33:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting in the wrong class.
My lecture is at 3, and I thought it was 3, so I walked into the lecture hall.
It took me 10 minutes to realize I was in the wrong lecture.
So I am now sitting in a math class, that is studying continuity. I think.
I can't walk out because I'm sitting right in the front, and yes I am a little mortified of walking out. And honestly, I don't feel like it anymore.
I'm making Wanderer stay online and talk to me xD
The only downside is that Celeb is going to die in a bit, and I don't have my charger and I still have my class to attend!

I love college :D

18 xD

2011-10-10T23:52:00.000-05:00

18. Finally!
Happy 18th to me!!! :D :D

I spent yesterday afternoon and evening planning with Joe on how I'd celebrate my day.
So this is how I spent my day:-
At 12.30ish, Elena, Kathy, and I met Joe and we went to Lowry Mall to "set up". The cookie cake that I had bought was set down, and we all sat down around it in a circle, with our hoods up.
We called it our seance of calling on the ancestors of the cookie box.
And this is the chant we came up with:
Take off your shoes and socks
Keep all your electronics on the box.
Which we did. All of us. Even the ones who came later.
So yeah. Daniel came, and then Jake came, and then Austin and Joshua.
So after some talking, and cake-cutting, we decided it was time to get ourselves (more) food.
Dominoes was nearby so instead of getting it delivered, we decided to walk there.
Turns out, there were closed except for deliveries.
:/
Austin and Joshua had to go, so they left. After I gave my 'thank you for coming' speech.
Elena also came back to our room (she's my roommate. And the best one around!) because she had an exam today.
The rest of us went to IHOP, which is an all-day breakfast place.
We went, we ate, we returned. At around 3.30am.

And then later in the evening, there was a surprise party for me!
Elena had organized it :)
It made my day even more amazing.

Left to right: Elizabeth, Haley, Kathy, Me Elena, Laura, Jessica, and Irene

After that, we brought all the balloons up to our room. And that's where they shall lie. To the end of their days.

It also rained today, which was the icing on the cake. This one was definitely the best birthday ever.

I don't feel very different.

I went and sat at the Columns in between classes. All the kids in my E1000 class sang the Birthday Song to me, albeit reluctantly (99% of the kids in that class are Asian, so they're not really vocal in English; or maybe they just don't like me). But they sang, which is all that matters.

I went out for a walk after the heavy downpour had poured itself out. Took a giant loop around campus.

It felt marvelous.

Jesse Hall looks so magnificent at nighttime.

I will get my camera fixed, and I will take pictures. And you shall know.

As of now, there's still 8 minutes left to my day.

I love me.

I love the people around me.

I know I'm not very vocal with my feelings, but I'm really, really glad that I have the people around me that I do.

Lurve.

2011-10-02T21:37:00.000-05:00

I'm in the mood for a love story. With a happy ending, for a change.
This is what Disney does to you (I'd been to watch Lion King in 3D with a friend).
**************

They met simply because he sang very loudly when he had music blasting in his ears. If he hadn't been feeling that happy, and singing that loud, they wouldn't have found each other. They wouldn't have discovered their mutual love for Phil Collins. They wouldn't have gotten into a heated argument over which song is better - You'll be in my heart or Do you remember.

They became friends because they fascinated each other.

He found it easy to share things with her. She enjoyed listening to him.
She loved how he made her feel. He found it amazing, how she always surprised him.
He knew he could never get enough of her. She marveled at his patience.
She made him want to do whatever it took to keep that smile on her face, and the laugh in her eyes.
He was everything in her life worth living for.

They didn't complement each other.
She thought he was too trusting.
He thought she was too gutsy.
She thought he needed to be less of a goody-two-shoes.
He thought she needed to stop being so impulsive.

Their arguments ended, mostly, in one of them laughing at the other.
They resolved it with rock-paper-scissors.
But they were always honest with each other.

No one understood why they got along so well.
No one saw the gray underside to their colorful life.
No one knew the effort they made to be together.
No one grasped what they meant to each other.

They fell deeply in love, certainly. But they had their happily ever after because they made it happen.
Because it was worth it.

First class of Fencing.

2011-09-13T23:09:00.003-05:00

I had my first fencing session today. First time, ever. And I loved it. Sure the twenty-minute warm up in the beginning killed me. I am so not fit enough. But I'll get there.
So, fencing.
It's the easiest hard thing to learn. It's like a dance, with a constant prop in your hand. And the prop is not decorative. It's your prop which dictates your dance.
And the lunges are the hardest part. One wrong lunge, and you can get yourself killed (in a real duel), twist your ankle, or both. None of which are pleasant scenes.
We practice with foam swords and once we've got the techniques down, we pick up the metal swords, and put on the armor. It's cool. It's way, way awesome.

Even though I just started today, I'm proud to say that I picked it up pretty well, the basic footwork.
The absolute basic footwork is advance, retreat, and lunge. Your starting point is the 'en garde' stance, where you bend on your knees, feet apart in an L, your sword-arm raised, bent at the elbow, and your sword held diagonally upwards.
En garde is, very honestly, my favorite stance. Because in that moment, everything is just about the sword in your hand, the tension in your feet, and the look in your eyes.
Yeah, I did that whole you're-going-to-die-now look with a couple of the people I practiced against.

Originally, I only wanted to learn how to fence because I love sword-fighting and this is the closest I can get to that art form. But now, only one class later and I'm in love with the art, not just what it represents.
Now, if it weren't for the four-page thesis that I have to write for my English class tomorrow, I would have slept a ridiculously happy person. Now I'm just going to sleep a happy person.
But still. Fencing. One word: Yay!!!

Wait, is 'yay' an actual, legitimate word or is just a form of exclamation, in which case it would be a word... I don't know. Help?

Tonight, it's You

2011-09-09T23:25:00.003-05:00

This is one of those nights when you sit outside enjoying the chill, listening to ambience-friendly tracks, and you're missing those special people who aren't physically around to be sober with you. Not that you could ever be serious, for long, with those people.

The trees around rustle in the wind, but you don't hear it because of the man-made sounds in your ears.
The dry leaves crunch under weight, but you don't hear it because of the music of a guitar solo being performed.
You don't feel eyes watch you because you're too engrossed in reading pieces of the not-so-distant past.
You don't realize there is a human in close vicinity because you're too focused on the virtual presence of people you want near you.
The arms that circle you cause you to scream, but the voice quietens you.

There is finally peace.

It wasn't exactly what you wanted, but the person who came and sat beside you promised to be the next best thing.

The post title is a song by Cheap Trick.

Hello September!

2011-09-05T18:30:00.001-05:00

For the first time in my life, I "celebrated" this day as Labor Day, rather than Teacher's Day.
Celebration was simple. Woke up late, had a conversation with Venky, and then went to eat. Whoopie!

I am without a job (not that I ever had one that paid) and I do not like the fact that I don't have money to spend. I was on Amazon earlier today, and they're selling the boxed set of the Inheritance Cycle (including Inheritance, when it releases later in November) for $60.13. Shipping is free. That's approximately Rs. 2,300 less than the price on Flipkart (Rs. 5085).
Oh yes, I did my homework. Including looking up exchange rates.
And I also want to get highlights, which are going to cost me $65.
Plus, fencing classes also cost $65.
And more than highlights, I want to learn how to fence.
*sigh* Decisions.
I don't want to wait till my sophomore year before I can do all this. I want money. Now.
And no, I don't want to ask my parents.

Good thing about being in college, far away from your parents. You become independent. You have to. You don't have a choice. And I like it. I like it very much.

I stayed up last night reading Nora Roberts's Birthright. I'm surprised at myself, but I like the novels written by Roberts. If you remove the love stories she puts in, she has good material. And explosions. That woman likes explosions (pun intended).
So anyway. After reading this book, I was thinking that when it comes to love, we always want that little bit more from the people we're asking it from. It's not enough that they do love us, however much, or little, it is. We want that little bit more, and always a little bit more. What's wrong with however much they do love us?
Rather, why are we not happy with what we get?

This brings to mind the following quote: "Just because someone doesn't love us the way we want them to, doesn't mean they don't love us with everything they've got".
True story, that.

Differences

2011-08-26T14:48:00.000-05:00

Everyone is different. They all say "I'm different because [insert reason here]". Everyone has a different way of looking at things, different opinions.
On one side, you have the everyday, normal people.
Interesting question in my psychology textbook: how do you define normal?
Normal is something that every single person does.
Like, eating. sleeping. interacting with other people. having a hobby (again, hobby needs to be defined).
I don't know what I'm trying to get at...

Okay maybe I'll just start with me.
There was a time when I used to go out of my way to be different from everyone around me. I did things, sometimes deliberately, simply because I knew it's not something everyone does, and I wanted people to notice that I was doing something... unusual.
But now, since I've been doing it for so long, it has become ingrained in me. Now, without trying, I end up doing, or saying, things that people normally wouldn't.
And that, sometimes, disturbs me. It doesn't disturb me enough to want to go get myself checked or something. But it disturbs me enough to wonder, what am I?

I don't like labels. They're too narrow in their description. A person is never be described in just one word, because that one word will only tell you about that one aspect of them. What about the rest of who they are? Confining a person's personality in one word is like putting their self in a tiny, 3x3 cell. And obviously, that's suffocating.

But then, people seem to like labels. They like it for the comfort they get out of having a common factor with the people around them, that they're not different.
Then you have the people who, despite their label, go out of their way to make themselves known for everything else but. Yet, they're still identified by their label. It's like they walk around with a 'Hello My Label Is..." sticker on their shirts, but they still have something about them that defies their label.
Something like, a dog eating cat food. Or, a student majoring in Theoretical Mathematics, who loves playing the horn (okay, I actually met a person like this, but I'm pretty sure he meant some other musical instrument along the lines of 'the horn', because I'm pretty sure there isn't a musical instrument called 'the horn'. He said he would gladly focus only on music, but it didn't pay enough, unless of course, you played for some big orchestras. But he also really liked his major.
I digress.

Anyway, people like him, make me feel a little bad for them. Because reality gets in the way of them doing something they truly love. And that was not the point.

I really don't know what I'm trying to say.
I have class now. I'm going to go.

I'm going to end this here, because I'm really not sure how I want to go on.

Monkeys

2011-08-25T20:18:00.001-05:00

I had mentioned in my previous post that I had gotten two poems written on topics chosen by me.
The following poem is the first of them, written on Monkeys.
The poet is Jimmy Lo, a GTech graduate.

How high the swing of your arch
O monkey see how monkey too-doos
upon the plates of the Earth
Though shifty is my name in sign language
and out of the forest we find
other leaves to too-ha with
That's why primates are prim
with personal hygiene and fill
the forest bed with noise.

Also, this is my first post from my brand new MacBook Pro, which I have named Celeb.
'Celeb' means silver, in Elvish. The Middle-Earth Elvish, to be precise (for those who don't know).
I'm really psyched that I have him! :D

GTech

2011-08-21T12:59:00.001-05:00

So.
I'm at Atlanta at the moment, visiting Safia at Tech.
I met a lot of people. Awesome people.
Ate waffles at 4.30am. Chocolate chip waffles. And liked it!
The waffles, I mean.

This trip here kind of makes me feel a tad bit bad about skipping the Mizzou events, but then I figure that I have the rest of the four years to make up for this one weekend.

Yesterday, I was talking to this one guy I met, and I used the word 'thrice'. And he just looked at me and said, "You said 'thrice'." And I was like, yeah I did, so? And he said, "People usually just say 'three times'. No one uses 'thrice'." And I was all 0.o
Why wouldn't you use the word 'thrice'? It's so much more convenient! It's an entire word less! Okay, minus one word, plus one alphabet. But it's still better than saying 'three times'.

Also yesterday, there was a party at the Tech library. And right outside the library, a guy had set up a stall, where he was giving away free poems on demand. You give him a topic, and in a few minutes, he gives you a poem on that topic. I gave him the topics Monkeys, and Infinity. Pretty decent poems I got.

Also, the time difference between here, and Mizzou, and India, and the Middle East, is kind of hard to keep up with :S

Potter and more

2011-08-05T08:14:00.000-05:00

ErisedSparks has now joined the ranks of Pottermore.
Yes, me.
:D

I leave for UK, and then for the States, in 3 days. On the morning of the fourth day, I fly. Pun intended.

Watched Horrible Bosses last evening, with my sister and a friend of hers. Good show.

I feel bad I cant take my copy of the Lord of the Rings. I am satisfying myself by taking Shantaram and Unfinished Tales. But I am so very proud of the red strolley mum bought for me! It is Red, and gorgeous.

I am very excited about college. And also nervous. Of course, people would say that the nervous is normal, but I dont like it.

I am also going to be meeting Safia after almost four years. Four. Years. I am much more excited about that.

There are a lot of normal, everyday things that I've gotten used to at home, which I'm going to find a tad bit difficult to arrange in college.
Like, the constant presence of food. My books. I cannot, on a whim, decide to read Agatha Christie in the morning, and then read Daphne du Maurier in the evening, and finally choose to read Matthew Reilly at night. I suppose that's a good thing, in a way, but I lose the freedom of complete choice.
On the other hand, shopping for books on eBay just became 83765893276482609874 times easier.

That should do for now.

Work updates

2011-07-05T07:30:00.001-05:00

I spent most of today reading DBPB. I got till page 108, under the category "Hilarious". So much for "I will not slack off at work."

It's not like the work I'm supposed to be doing is top-priority. And I've noticed I give these people a brain hemorrhage when I tell them I'm done with what they had given me, and need something else to do.
I still have 26 days of work left. Including weekends.

But the GI office is more fun than the ADW office. I mean, we have pop corn!
And people actually talk to each other, instead of just working.
Winston was just telling Lucy about the Neeraj Grover murder case.
Teri and I were talking about life in AD.
The ADW office is silent! Except for the occasional exchange of a funny story.
Which happens rarely.

Mum said next summer, she'll send me to India to work.
:D

Shit Happens

2011-06-27T03:03:00.000-05:00

Sargam,

I remember when you used to complain about giving your dogs a bath, way back in 8th grade. I remember you always enjoyed giving them a bath. I remember Caesar always standing at the door, barking his head off, and wagging his tail like there's no tomorrow. I remember Fluffy jumping up on anyone who got too close to him.
That's all I remember. You have a tonne more memories. You're lucky. Because you have more of both Caesar, and Fluffy.
But, it's like Dumbledore said, "I will only truly be gone when none here are loyal to me."

I feel sad. I really do.

Thought-Provoking Questions Part Whichever

2011-06-23T18:52:00.002-05:00

I've stopped keeping count. And this set of questions is not all that heavy-weighted.

1. What makes you feel great?
(not in the given order) Food. Hugs. Reading a good book. Walking in the rain. Good conversations. Watching LOTR, any movie, any scene. Dancing.

2. What was your first job title?
Journalism Intern. At TheWeek. In Muscat.

3. How many countries have you visited? Which ones?
13. That I can remember.
- India
- Oman
- UAE
- Singapore
- Malaysia
- France
- Germany
- Belgium
- Italy
- Netherlands
- UK
- Vatican City
- Thailand

4. How would you describe your parents in one word?
Compromised.

5. What didn't last forever, but was still worth your while?
A lot of things. People. Places. Things.
Nothing lasts forever, until you define forever.

6. What is something you've always wanted, but don't yet have?
A dog. Or a cat. Or a monkey.
I want an animal to love, to pet, to play with, to care for. I want to experience the magic that is them.

7. What's something you're extremely picky about?
Food.

*brilliant conversation with Ishmael taking place*

Today's Headlines

2011-06-17T05:56:00.001-05:00

Back in Abu Dhabi.

Calcutta was awesome. I went everywhere I wanted to go. I ate everything I wanted to eat. I met ~~everyone~~ almost everyone I wanted to meet. Spent an age, and a lot of cash, at Crossword. Generally, had a ball of a time.

In other news:
1. This day, two months later, will see me on the campus of University of Missouri-Columbia. Nickname: Mizzou.
2. I went to Ferrari World, the other day. I went on the world's fastest roller coaster, Ferrari Rossa, thrice. According to a few people I bragged about this to, it's not such a big deal. But it was amazing. It really was. I had a great time there. For lunch, we ate this restaurant there called Mamma Rosella. I had pasta. It. Was. Delicious. We rode all the rides there. Except V12, which was closed for the day.
3. Interesting conversations with interesting people continue. They don't know who they are.
4. I'm growing up :/

Thought-Provoking Questions III and More

2011-06-12T11:57:00.000-05:00

Last couple of days in Calcutta :(
I feel like crawling under a rock, preferably on the grounds of Victoria Memorial. I want to crawl under that rock and stay there for the next 2987582650 years. I will miss the conversations I have with my friends, but I'm willing to give that up for a few years' of solitary confinement. With books.

"I wanna get lost from my life sometimes, sit on the side and watch the world go by. I wanna get lost and I don't know why."
When It All Goes Wrong Again, Everclear

Also, the next set of questions from Thought-Questions.:

1. What have you given up on?
I've given up on relationships. Of any kind.

2. How did you meet your best friend?
I have quite a few people I'd call my buddies. I met most of them from school. Also through Facebook, and mutual friends.

3. What decisions have you waited too long to take?
Deciding on which residence I will live in on university campus :P

4. What issues do you continually refuse to confront?
My laziness, procrastination.

5. What advice would you give to your 18-year old self?
This time next year, I will answer this question.

6. What do you think is a massive rip-off?
:S err
*after much deliberation* Pani Puri. Puchka is the real deal.

The darkness is getting to me :/

2011-06-05T12:57:00.000-05:00

I whisper, and you whisper

Things we always said we would.

Silent calls into the night,

Like smatterings of rain ‘cross the roads

Howling winds and caressing breezes,

Bathed in golden light,

I wishper, and you whisper.

Slashed across, dripping blood

Crawling away cradling broken memories.

Walking fast and far away,

Into the deepening shadows.

Awesomeness

2011-06-03T09:31:00.002-05:00

Got to Bangalore yesterday morning.
Overcast sky. Cold wind.
Apparently the weather here is always like that.
Score Bangalore.

Last night was Wanderer's cousin's wedding reception. I had a great time there. Met people I enjoyed talking to. Dressed up.
Today I went to Garuda Mall and Brigade Road with the Nihilist. At the suggestion of Ze Bloggherr, we went to Peco's. Beer (Foster's) place, with great food. I bought three books, at what I assume to be a bargain. Okay, it's not really much of a bargain but it was decent enough. The two of us also went to Le Rock, which is opposite Peco's. Had JD there. Pricey place :/
But I had a great time.

I'm enjoying my time here, a lot. And it's only been two days. :Dee
I just wish Safia and Vishak were here as well.

Long Story

2011-05-30T12:49:00.002-05:00

After almost a week in Rajasthan, I am (finally) in Calcutta.
F.I.N.A.L.L.Y.
It rained today. Twice. Lot's of thunder and lightning as well. I had my food-walk. With Pallavi. Good day, good day. And many more to come xD

Rajasthan was fun. Went to Jaipur, Borawar, Nagaur, Sujangar, and Salasar.

Jaipur was one day.
Arrived at night. Spent the following morning exploring the slums around the house. I had my camera with me and was taking pictures. Some kids followed me around the entire place and when I was heading back, they asked me to take their picture, which I did. Spoke to some of the ladies in the slums. Polite conversation; didn't dig too deep.

Borawar was around three days.
Dad had some family business to take care of there. Met cousins I'd last seen around six-seven years back. They taught me how to play chaukadi, and rummy. The family owns two shops in the village/town. I sat and took care of one of them for one entire morning. It was boring. It really was. I didn't really explore Borawar on my own because I was too busy playing cards. And I didn't really feel like it. But I did have fun with the cousins.

Nagaur was two days.
This included visits to Sujangar and Salasar which together took up a day. We just visited temples in those two places. We being Mum's cousins and their families, and me. Mum's entire extended family is religious. Very religious. The drive to Sujangar and Salasar, from Nagaur, was tiring. Cramped seating in a not-properly-working A/C car. And the songs playing were horrible. The company was okay. I preferred looking out the window, more because it was hard to carry on a conversation properly without screaming to be heard.
Nagaur was where the parents and I parted ways; the parents went on to Jodhpur and I stayed on in Nagaur with Mum's extended family.
My last day in Rajasthan, it rained. And for the first time in three years, I went out and played in the rain for nearly an hour and a half. And it was liberating. I would have played hopscotch but there was no chalk/crayon in the house.
From Nagaur, we took a train to Calcutta. One and a half-day's journey. Some parts boring, most parts fun. I love travelling in trains. Finished reading Thomas Harris's Hannibal on the train. Riveting, to say the least.

In Rajasthan, I heard tell of a lot of houses being haunted. The cities and towns of the state are riddled with havelis (mansions), many of them which have been abandoned for years. Quite blatantly, they provide the perfect backdrops for ghost stories. Much as I would have liked to explore some of the allegedly haunted houses around our place, I didn't get to. And even though I didn't experience anything other-worldly, Mum and Nima did. Mum in Borawar and Nima in Nagaur.
:/ exciting stuff never happens around me.

First Meetings

2011-05-20T07:35:00.003-05:00

I met two other friends of Chana: Jagrat, and Maithaili. I liked them as well. And I have special reason to thank Jagrat: he gave me Belvedere and JD. He said I was the first girl he had come across who liked JD. Score Chikki?
Nahh, not really.

I also met Pai today. After an entire month. She took me to Theobroma (which is on the Bandra Linking Road. See Pai, I know some places). And I fell in love. The brownies, pastries, and coffee. Oh. My. God. It. Was. So. Fucking. Awesome. Please excuse the language, but it was needed. I think so, anyway.

So we were out primarily to shop for Jagrat. When we got back home, Chana told me that the guy is usually not so open and friendly with people he meets for the first time. Which got me thinking: if you're meeting someone for the first time, won't you behave in a way which is not exactly your usual nature but is not so far removed from it?Won't you try to be like the person you always wished you could be? That is of course, assuming you're not comfortable behaving the way you always do. Especially with people you meet for the first time.
Everyone I've met so far, has been surprisingly receptive, and open. Towards me. And this has surprised me mainly because, I'm used to people being comparatively closed, and in some cases, cold, towards people they meet for the first time. So this warm attitude has very pleasantly surprised me.
I'm not saying that every person I speak to or meet for the first time is reserved. But they all haven't exactly been all...yalla habibi (Chana suggested that I use that phrase).
I know what signs I look for in a conversation with someone new, before I interject. I wonder what the other indicators are for different people.

Mumbai!!

2011-05-17T13:29:00.002-05:00

On today's menu:
1. Nandu's
- Cheese Schezwan Dosa
- Chopsuey Dosa
- Chocolate Dosa (it was surprisingly good. Cheese and chocolate. Unexpectedly tasty)
- Schezwan Franky. It was okay. Not as good as the dosas.
2. Dabeli

After lunch Chana and I went to one of her friends' house: Nittal. Another of their friend, Tanvi was there as well. I enjoyed their company. I really, really did. Tanvi and Nittal are English-language lovers as well. And Nittal reads :D They are also very good dancers. And they both love Lord of the Rings xD

After that Chana and I went to meet another of her friends: Akshar. Tanvi dropped us to where we were going to meet him. On the way we stopped to eat dabeli at one of the roadside stalls. It was Awesome!

Also, last couple of days I've been eating anda bhurji. Now this is a big deal because I've never eaten egg before. As in, an egg dish. Never before. An I can't believe I was missing out on something so tasty.

Actually, today was a very good day. In terms of food, people, and shopping.
OH! I bought books today. Six of them. P.G Wodehouse, Agatha Christie, and Sidney Sheldon.
Wodehouse and Christie because mum loves them, so I bought them primarily for her. And I bought the one Sheldon because Chana said it's a good one (Rage Of Angels).

All in all, a good day. And we are going to watch Bounty Hunter in a little while. I am going to sleep a tired, and content person tonight.
:)

Thought-Provoking Questions II

2011-05-09T03:58:00.001-05:00

1. What do you wish you didn't know?
This one is hard. I guess.. I suppose, I wish I didn't know that Ishita was gone. It's easier to believe she was just ignoring me (and Safia). That way I wouldn't have to resign myself to the fact that I'll never hear from her ever again.

2. What is your most annoying habit?
My whistling. Slow eating. My hyper-ness. My being bad at keeping in touch with people. There's lots of things wrong with me.

3. What's the farthest away you've ever lived from your hometown where you grew up?
Abu Dhabi (I grew up in Muscat, but I've always considered Calcutta as my home. I also refuse to call Calcutta Kolkata).

4. Why do so many young people still smoke cigarettes?
I think it starts out as peer pressure. And then it becomes something they depend on. Then they get addicted to it. After that they can't let go.
For some, it's a way of escape. An occasional escape.
For others, it's a curiosity to be indulged in rarely, if ever.
It means different things to different people.

5. What do you like about a rainy day?
The vitality in the atmosphere. The way everything is fresh, clean, new.

6. What are you scared of?
Losing my independence. The independence to do what I want, where I want, and the way I want to. I want the freedom to make my own mistakes. I want the freedom to explore new things. I want the freedom to say what I really think. I want the freedom to be me.
I have it, and I don't want to lose it. Ever.

7. What's something that never has an ending?
Hope. As Aragorn said, "There is always hope."
And Elrond and Arwen:
Elrond: That hope is now gone.
Arwen: But it is not lost.

This is where I get these questions from: http://thoughtquestions.com/

MINE MINE MINE MINE MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE xD xD

2011-05-05T02:34:00.000-05:00

http://abudhabiweek.ae/component/content/article/1-news/5510-water-conservation-who-cares?directory=65&Itemid=65

THAT IS MY ARTICLE. MINE.

Okay, it's not ALL mine. I had help with it from SK, but 90% of it is is MINE.
:D
yay me!!!

The mag came yesterday to the office, fresh from the press. Yesterday, if I'd died, I would have died a happy person. Looking at that article again, I would die a happy person today as well.
Yes, it is a drab piece.
Yes, it's small.
Yes, it doesn't have my name.
But it's an article.
Published.
In the city's only magazine.
*swoons in ecstacy*

Falling Slowly, So Close.

2011-05-03T06:16:00.001-05:00

She sat there, staring at the screen, wondering what to type. She didn't have much time, but she didn't know how to say what she wanted to say.

He wondered what was going through her mind, whether she cared as much as she said she did. He wanted her to say something, anything. Just so he could know things were okay.

She toyed with her phone. Should she call, text? He may not pick up. He will not reply. He might pick up; what would she say then?

He got ready to leave home. His phone remained silent; she remained silent. It bothered him but he wouldn't admit it. Not anymore.

She didn't know what was wrong. She didn't know what was different now.

He couldn't tell her what was wrong. He couldn't explain what was different. He didn't want to.

She gave up. If he wanted to, he'd talk.

He never spoke about it. She never knew.
--

Bored. At office. No real work. Listening to Falling Slowly by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, and So Close by Jon Mclaughlin. On loop.

Singapore And All

2011-05-02T03:17:00.001-05:00

Thursday night saw the family and me at the Abu Dhabi International Airport (which isn't exactly my favourite airport), waiting to catch a flight to Singapore.

Singapore trip happened because Dad wanted to visit a couple of temples for his own special reasons. And he made it a family pilgrimage, of which he was the only willing party. Uneventful flight. Got a crick in my neck from sleeping with my back (kind of) straight. Aaand I didn't have a window seat :/

I was bowled over by the greenery of the place. I was also strongly reminded of Bangalore and Calcutta. Calcutta more than Bangalore. Did a bit of shopping; the sister more than me. One time, Mum was trying to make me buy a pair of "office-type" shoes. They were pointy-toed, with maybe half an inch of heels, black, with a little silver buckle adornment. Very not my type, and very uncomfortable. But Mum was trying really hard to get me to agree to buy them because I "needed" a pair of shoes which are appropriate for office wear. I told her no way was I going to buy them because they were way too uncomfortable and plus I didn't like the way they looked. And then, this lady spoke up from behind saying, "She's (me) right, you know. I bought a pair of shoes for my daughter which were so pretty but she complained everyday saying mamma they're very uncomfortable." And I was like SCORE CHIKKI! Hahahahahahahhahahaha that was such an awesome moment!
But in the end I bought a pair of Puma...slip-on sandals type shoes. Comfortable ones.

Food was okay. It rained. Heavily. Score Singapore. We were in Singapore for, maybe, a total of 40 hours. Give or take a few. Flight back was better. Watched Season of the Witch and The Tourist. I liked The Tourist. Good movie. And funny. Season of the Witch was okay. Not exactly the ending I had imagined.

Frank: Fuck! You're ravenous.
Elise: Do you mean ravishing?
Frank: I do.
Elise: You're ravenous.
Frank: I am.
Elise: Come on.
:D

Ahmed's slips of tongue

2011-04-26T15:28:00.002-05:00

1. I used the word sadist and he asked me what it means. I was really stunned. Then I asked him what he thought it meant.
He thought, Sadist: something to do with sad people.

2. We were walking on the sidewalk and on the opposite side, a four-wheel drive screeches past.
Ahmed: uncle, dheere chalao. Bacchi (me) ke kaan kharab ho jayenge.
(uncle, drive slowly. The little girl's ears will get spoilt, otherwise)
Me: yeah yeah, as if nothing will happen to your ears.
Ahmed: my ears are bullet-proof.
HAHAHAHAHAHA

To his credit, he immediately realised his error. But really man, bullet-proof ears?

From work

2011-04-26T07:28:00.000-05:00

I don't really have anything to do at the moment. That is the only reason I'm blogging from work, I swear.

On the note of swearing:
Myth: Journalists have a very fine language
Fact: Bollocks.
To be more specific, this is fact for the ones I work with. They cuss as much as your average teenager. I hear it everyday. A year or so back, this information would have made me very happy. Now, I care for my language too much for this to affect me.

In other news, I'm working on a feature article with one of the junior staff writers here: SK. She's young, and pretty, and friendly. I like working with her. We're working on a water conservation article which is going to be printed in the next issue.
While looking at previous news reports for bits of information, I had to visit a lot of local media sites. Two things common with the sites:
1. Grammar fail
2. 95% copy paste the articles from each other, changing a few words here and there, or changing the order of the paragraphs, at the very most.
Also. Gulf News, the website at least, copy-pastes its articles verbatim from other sites. Cue: facepalm (thank you for the line, Wanderer).

But I'm enjoying my work. So. Very. Much. I get to see the magazine before it goes for print. I get the magazine fresh from the press. I work with interesting people. I get to do (semi) interesting work. I'm getting a free ticket to the Shakira concert. How cool?

2011-04-23T15:45:00.000-05:00

Today, things got messed up at the Corniche. It's like Y said, "Yesterday my group had so much fun. Today, everybody is confused and angry, and they all say nothing nothing."
People :/ Can't live with them, can't live without them.
Aaaaand I'm finally done with GI Shows list. I got done with it on Wednesday, actually. But I'm still getting responses from the people I contacted, and delivery failed notifications which really irritate me. But on the whole, a job pretty well done.

Just.

2011-04-19T14:22:00.006-05:00

Office was much the same as yesterday. 'Twas one of the ladies' birthday. Cake and chocolates. Can of coke. Plus the lunch mum packed for me. I felt like I would throw up, when I was done eating everything. Tomorrow, I'm going to take my iPod. Enough of working in relative silence.
Corniche work was better than yesterday. Lot's of new friends. Yay!
At the end of the day, I'm tired. But I'm pleased with myself. I don't get enough time to really relax. That makes me happy. Not that I'm a workaholic. No. It's just that I don't want the time to be free to laze around.
Now if only I could find out how to join those salsa classes..

ADW Day 2

2011-04-18T14:13:00.001-05:00

I was still working on the GI shows today. I was supposed to go for a press conference today but D couldn't take me. When he came back he said it wasn't even a real press conference (even though they did get the press kit); it was just a lady complaining about something to the media.
BUT (this is a good but).
But, D did give me some real, not grunt work. He gave me four feature ideas to work on.
Features. Yes.
If I can get good material, the feature will be run.
From what I gathered from my day today, it seems D is one of the real good guys.
An is good with people because she deals with all the competition events, and promotions and all. She's very friendly.
Md was very particular about getting my name right. He even asked me to spell it, and wrote it down. Wow.

Also. Advice. From D.
He says that good journalism is all about having good contacts, and the ability to write boring pieces in an interesting manner.
Just these two things.
1. It doesn't matter if you don't know squat. If you know people who know things, then you're set.
2. If you can write boring things in such a way that readers actually read most of the, if not the full, article then you're set.

ADW Day 1

2011-04-17T12:23:00.000-05:00

Today was the first day of my internship over at Abu Dhabi Week.
It was...normal. I didn't expect a press conference on the first day itself. But I didn't expect to be seated at my terminal all day.
One of the magazines published by Turret Media, apart from Abu Dhabi Week (ADW), is Gulf Interiors (GI). One of the ladies working at GI had asked one of the guys I work with, D, to get her information on (I believe) all the interior designing exhibitions and/or fairs that take place globally. D handed that work over to me. The list has 278 events on it.
For more than seven hours, I sat at my desk, trying to get all the required information. I only managed to get info for 40-odd fairs. And that also not completely. It's tiring work. But in between all the boredom and cursing (Google Translate for failing me), I enjoyed my work. And I'm taking it so seriously, that I've brought the list over at home to work on it.
For the first time, it's serious work, in a (not so) serious environment, with people who take the interns seriously. At the end of the day I was, and am, happy. :D

Single Double

2011-04-02T13:47:00.001-06:00

I Bled Blue.
We were 32 people at Venky's place watching the ICC World Cup Final between India and Sri Lanka.
Squashed between Wali and Shakti, and sometimes Pai and Wali, I watched the entire match. Actually, not the entire match since I fell asleep during the last few overs of Sri Lanka. Actually, I tried to sleep, but obviously couldn't because of the noise levels, and Wali.
When India was batting its' last few overs, I was actually sitting up straight, intently watching the screen. I have never before given a rat's tiny backside about cricket. Even during the Test matches and ODI's and T-20s and whatnots, I have never bothered watching the match. If India won, it won. If it didn't, well, too bad. But today, today I cared. 28 years and six World Cups later, Dhoni hit the six which won India it's second World Cup.
It was spectacular, the way everyone in the room erupted in cheers. There were hugs all around and Vishak and Sushain crushed me in a group hug. Thanks guys.
During the presentation, the words of two people must be repeated.
First, Virat Kohli. "Tendulkar has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years. It was time we carried him."
And second was when Sachin Tendulkar said that he couldn't stop the tears that came and he didn't want to because they were happy tears. Every single one of us in that room went aww :)

Good day. Good end. Yay India! :D

Muscat Updates

2011-03-30T13:20:00.001-06:00

I've been here for 5 days, and it feels like it's been forever. In a good way. In a very, very good way.
Holi party at Maanas's was ASD.
Meetings with the people were fun.
Conspiracies have already been hatched. More intel is needed before we can put them under way though. Will be getting that soon enough.
Still a lot of meetings to arrange.
Good day, today was (specified today coz, well, I'm writing today...)
Also, Bumpy Ride by Mohombi is stuck in my head. That song is catchy.

Ï wanna boom bang bang with your body yo
We gonna rough it up before we take it slow
Girl let me rock you rock you like a rodeo
It's gonna be a bumpy ride

PS: Happy Birthday Zero!

Over and Done with

2011-03-23T07:52:00.000-06:00

I am over, and done with, high school. I wrote my last high school exam yesterday. Yes, it was a good paper. I was supposed to be in Muscat right about now. Right now, I should have been at Shatti beach, celebrating Lakshay's birthday. It will be a belated arrival, but when I get there, I will make the most of it. Unlike the last two visits when I didn't quite make the most of them.

High school has been completed.
College applications have been sent.
Internship requests have been sent.
Room has been cleaned of all unnecessary books and papers.
Life is definitely going to be different.

Wow.

PS: Happy Birthday Lakshay! Sorry for not wishing in person :(

I will. No, really.

2011-03-18T06:42:00.000-06:00

When people ask me "what's up" or "what's new", I do not know how to respond. For a moment, I'm stuck there thinking what should I say? There is nothing remarkably different that happens to me. It's the SSDD (same shit, different day). And I'm beginning to hate that. What is a relief, however, is the fact that all of it is going to change in a week.
This time, next week, I will be a high school graduate. Officially. And after that, I really will do all those things I've been meaning to do since, well, forever.
I'll join dance classes again.
I'll work at a newspaper/magazine here.
I'll really work on a book.
I'll learn to cook. (Yeah, not really happening. Mum wants me to learn, and just to pacify her, I'll probably learn a thing or two. But I'm not really a cooking person.)
I'll read a few classics.
I'll explore the city. City being Abu Dhabi.
I'll start understanding the share market, and with some help from mum, start trading.

Yeah, long list. And this isn't even half of it. I'm really, really going to do all of this and more. I will, I will.

Thought-Provoking Questions

2011-03-14T01:43:00.002-06:00

1. What are the top three qualities you look for in a friend?
(i) Conversations The quality of conversations we can have. And the kind of things we can talk about.
(ii) Frankness The honesty and degree of openness that’s mutually present.
(iii) Comfort The comfort level I have with a person, regardless of how long I know them. If I’m not comfortable being myself with a person, nothing else matters.

2. What is your favourite sound?
(I didn’t have to think about this one) The sound of rain.

3. What makes you feel secure?
A hug. A real, tight, I-care-for-you, hug.

4. What’s the number one change you need to make in your life in the next 12 months?
I need to stop being a flake. Or at least, not be one all the damn time.

5. What was the most defining moment of your life this past year?
I’d gone to Muscat in August, 2010. On returning from the trip, obviously, I blogged about it. It was while I was typing the post that I realised who my friends were. And while there is always a chance that I’ll lose touch with them over the years, I know that if we ever see each other again, despite being incommunicado, the friendship will remain intact.

6. In one sentence, how would you describe your relationship with your mother?
My mum is my friend because if she were my buddy, she’d have to stop being my parent.

7. What’s something new you recently learned about yourself?
Even though I’m scared of what might happen, I’ll go ahead and take the risk. Because sometimes, it’s worth it.

Black and White

2011-02-27T10:44:00.002-06:00

Her troubles never seemed to cease. Tonight, they'd reared their ugly head again. She ran her eyes over the numbers again. Meticulously recorded, not one entry missed, everything where it should be, so why, why was she still running on a loss? What was she spending on? Minimal help, home produced ingredients, no renovations, manageable bills...
She felt herself begin to give way to tears.
"Excuse me ma'am.."
"We're closed, I'm sorry. Come back tomorrow if you wish."
"Er, yes ma'am. But I took a picture of you and I hope you don't mind if I share it on a public portal?"
She looked up at the man. Young, tall, thin; he looked like he needed feeding. And he was smiling at her.
God, when was the last time someone had been so polite?
She gave him a nonchalant shrug and started to get up when he said,"I couldn't help but notice that you aren't exactly the happy proprietor. Anything I can help with?"
Yes. You can lend me few lakh rupees. And leave me alone. Also make me a few years younger.
"No, no thank you."
He flashed her another one of his I'm-so-happy-all-the-time 1000watt smiles, said "good evening" and walked back out into the melting twilight.
She stared at his receding form. Slowly, her mouth curved upwards into a smile she hadn't felt on her features in a long while.
She turned and closed shop and surprised herself by humming a little happy tune.
Things weren't so bad if people like him existed.

My uncle had taken a picture of a lady in some restaurant he was at and this popped into my head.

The Lady In Red

2011-02-13T16:43:00.003-06:00

Inspired by Chris de Burgh's song The Lady In Red

He watched the dancers reflected in his glass. The wine in the glass made everything behind him look surreal. He twirled the glass a few times, just to watch the changing shapes. He turned around to survey the gaiety in its real form and almost choked on his drink.
She entered the ballroom as though she were the night's focus. Every head turned towards her, every dance paused, every breath taken away. And all she did was walk into the room. She soon had a throng of people surrounding her, wanting to be with her, talk to her, be in her company, shine in her attention, breathe in the air around her.
"Come upto meet you, tell you I'm sorry; you don't know how lovely you are". He smiled as he recognised how apt those words were. He watched her for a while. Her hair shone like ebony, streaked with a red that matched her dress. She laughed with a childlike glee. She danced with a lady's grace and a liveliness to match that of a candle in the wind. And every time she faced him while dancing, a smile spread across her face. The kind of smile that could lighten up the darkest room, brighten the dullest day, placate the most troubled heart.
Very soon they were dancing together, and nothing else mattered. All that he could see were her eyes, shining up at him. All that he could feel were her hands in his. All that he could smell was the scent of her. All that he cared about was her.
The sudden pain came as a surprise and the trickle of blood seemed out of place. He looked at his hands again. He looked around him, and then down at the broken glass pieces. The ghosts of yesterday had faded. The room was no longer a place of song and music. The air did not reverberate with laughter. His hands no longer held hers. His eyes no longer beheld hers. She was gone.
"Nobody said it was easy. It's such a shame for us to part. Nobody said it was easy. No one ever said it would be so hard." He smiled as the relevance of the words washed over him. He bent, picked up the pieces as best as he could, and walked away. He never looked back.

PS: Happy V-Day everybody, and Zero.

Helplessness and Others

2011-02-06T13:29:00.002-06:00

I'm a writer of sorts. I should be able to express the spot of uneasiness in me. But I can't. And I feel so helpless about it. It is a strange feeling, helplessness. It makes you think you're weaker than a small twig of a tiny plant but it forces you to bring out the best in you at the most difficult time.
But there is another kind of helplessness. The kind which forces you to stand and watch unfolding events. It makes you feel disgusted. You know you can avert what is happening but you still can't because it's just how it's got to be. And that, more than anything, is what makes you feel even more worthless.

Just a thought.

Convocation is on the 8th - day after tomorrow. Joy. I get to wear a sari. Spectacular. I get to get my hair done. Wonderful. Why am I mentioning this? Search me. Why don't I just backspace it away? Because I pretend it's written in royal blue ink flowing through a rhodium-plated fine nib, held in a black body of sheer cold metal with a formidable weight. I wish for such a fountain pen. One with my name inscribed. One which I feel is an extension of my hand, much like a sword. And I shall name it.

Happy Birthday Arya

2011-02-05T03:09:00.000-06:00

You asked for more than just a capitalised happy birthday greeting with a million exclamation marks. And I am happy to do something more. For you :)
Thank you for being my friend. You're cool yo. I like you.
And that's about the end of the gooey-ness you're going to get from me.
You are undoubtedly going to make this the best birthday ever. So all I ask is that you wish I was there. I assure you, I will demand a treat when I'm next in town. Yes you will receive birthday gift. I know the conditions you set.
Keep having fun.
With breath-stealing birthday hugs from me, Happy Legal Age Day xD

Argh, February :(

2011-02-02T01:48:00.000-06:00

I do not like this month. It has only 28 days :(
And that leaves me with 26 days of prep-time till the Boards. Actually, it's still 28 if you count the two days of March that I get. But no one counts those days. Ok, I don't. This is a very sombre topic. I do not wish to talk about it.

So. Other things. There's not much to tell. I had an interesting dream yesterday afternoon. Something about a robbery, how I interacted with the thieves, double-crossing, spelling corrections, and double-crossing gone wrong. And of course, I had to wake up at the most juiciest part. Last night also I had a very awesome dream. If I could only remember what it was, it would make a wonderful tale. It would really. I had woken up in the middle of the night and I remember thinking "wow that was one amazing dream".

Eh.

Hah! Sucker.

2011-01-21T12:11:00.001-06:00

She hurried down the dark street, aware of the silence and the cold chill. The trees crossed overhead, creating a canopy of rustling leaves. Patches of sky showed through, and there was hardly enough light to see by. Her path stretched on, seemingly endless. It had to end somewhere, and she'd walked the road before. Yet she couldn't explain the grip of fear she felt on her, couldn't explain why her eyes kept darting, probing the darkness, ears straining for the slightest unusual sounds, hands clenched to lash out at whatever struck her.
And then, there it was. The house she was making towards. She had nearly walked past it; she had to double back. She took only a couple of steps when she was struck. She lashed out at what had hit her but her hands found only air. She looked down and saw that it had only been bits of twigs and leaves, brought on by the sudden gust of wind. She smiled to herself, and walked towards the house.
And then, he struck. One, two stabs, and it was done. Easy.

Failboat-ness

2011-01-16T11:56:00.002-06:00

I haven't written a single fictional piece in ages. And it's making me feel hollow and incompetent. I'm neither of those things. And true, I haven't really tried writing but I'm so used to it just flowing out of me, that actually have to coax myself to let the words pour is...alien.
I have a few ideas but I have no inspiration. I read somewhere that the best inspiration can come from outside. From conversations, from your surroundings, from what you read. And while I'm a good preacher, I'm a horrible practitioner. No, I'm not a hypocrite. At least, not fully (I am prone to hypocrisy. Conversations with me will prove this). I truly believe what I say. I just don't follow my own advice.
And I am also currently mad at myself. Mum recently got herself an iPhone 3GS and since my sister coulnd't unlock and jailbreak it, it came down to me to do it. In one other fit of insanity (more than usual), I had upgraded the baseband of the iPhone to the iPad baseband. Or was it the firmware? I don't know; I'm not that sure. So, genius that I thought I was, I decided to restore the factory settings of the iPhone and then proceed to jailbreak it and then unlock it. Kind of like a fresh start.
Bad, bad idea. Hard-learnt lesson: Technology does not believe in fresh starts. So now I am stuck with an iPhone with the "connect to iTunes" screen and multiple tries of restoring it, and DFU mode-ing it and whatnot, I have not yet managed to get the phone back to what it was when my sister got it, all nice and black and shiny and new and a virgin (yes indeed, trying to restore your iPhone after jailbreaking it is also termed as re-virginising the piece of iShit. I'm not sure if it's a popular term. I found it on one site and found it, well, funny).
But I shall now get back to my endeavours. May the force be with me. For Frodo. And Harry, shaking from head to toe, walked inside. And many more parting lines from many more epic books, and movies.

From The Touch

2011-01-08T02:14:00.001-06:00

I type this post from my iPod Touch and I'm wondering why I've never done this before. It is slightly slower, my typing, but it is so much more fun typing from this device!! :Deeeee
Tiger had called last night and after conversation with him, there was a lot thinking I was doing but there was no definite point to it. I remember it was all 'love' related since that was the topic were skirting in different terms.
So I ended up reading Love Story by Erich Segal. It was nice. As love stories go, it was pretty decent and immediately reminded me of A Walk To Remember.
Anyway. It's a bit of a bother thinking about it now. I can't remember squat of what I was trying to work out in my head.

jwrhqwjehjwrhlifelkjehjesuckskwjkerhqjerhj

2011-01-07T10:10:00.000-06:00

*tearing paper*
some stuff's good. as of now i couldnt be bothered about punctuation and sentence case and all of that grammar nonsense i sually care about.
i will look back at this post and grimace but at the moment i couldnt care less.
blah.
need some happy songs. i dont have many happy songs. my collectionisfail.

The year that was

2011-01-02T16:11:00.000-06:00

It was a decent year.
iLearned.
iExperienced.
iMediated.
iRan.
iCooked.
iMet.

Did a lot of new things, basically. I think it's a subconscious resolution of mine, to do something new every year. It's good stuff.
As for the Muscat trip, it was simply marvelous. Met, talked to, all the important and not-so-important people. Gave up on another opportunity. And this time it was a movie-style opportunity. I told Pai that next time I will go for it. And I want to, really want to.

2011

2010-12-31T15:35:00.002-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR WORLD! :D

I am super psyched today!! I celebrated the arrival of the New Year with my Muscat friends :D :D :D
They were so surprised to see me!! It was totally worth the trip.
I'm still here. And it feels great.

Happy Birthday Prerna! I'm glad you got to spend your birthday with your friends.

"Where did I go wrong?

2010-12-21T03:06:00.001-06:00

"Where did I go wrong?
I lost a friend somewhere along the bitterness
I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life."

This reminds me of Nerdy and that really bad time way back in 10th. I did save a life but I lost a friend. Could I have done things differently? Maybe, if I'd payed more attention, maybe I would still be giggling with her about Michael Moscovitz and discussing Bloody Mary. Maybe.
As Gandalf said, "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world Frodo, besides the will of evil."
I don't know much about 'the will of evil' but it fits, the quote.

Sent from The Touch

Unofficially Over

2010-12-17T13:30:00.000-06:00

16th December 2010 was the last working day of school for me, and all the other 12th graders at ADIS.
I never expected to tear up during the Farewell Assembly. But I did. Not because I would miss my time at the school (*snort* yeah, like that will ever happen) but because I was accepted, as I am, by the students of the school.
At ISM I'd grown up with most of the people so they'd all gotten used to my idiosyncrasies. If I just walked in one day with tentacles sprouting from all over me, it probably wouldn't have surprised them so much. But at ADIS I would've been given a wide berth. Okay, okay, that was a lot of exaggeration but my point is, I didn't have to change an iota of who I am to become a (temporary) part of ADIS. And seeing as how I was with girls for 99.99% of the time, it was a big thing.

And so I teared up and Sibi had to remind me that guys don't cry (*snort* sure they don't) and after that I was fine. Yabadee yabadee doo. School's out. I don't have to step foot in that mental place except for the exams and the convocation practice (that's a whole other story) and then I'm outta there, Officially.
Is it any wonder I was literally drunk on happiness yesterday? Ask my mum, she actually thought I was demented.

One On One

2010-12-09T11:07:00.000-06:00

The intra-school one on one debate was today. Girls versus Boys.
I might not have mentioned this before but at Abu Dhabi Indian School, the boys don't study with the girl. It's co-ed system only covers the fact that they are on the same campus. Otherwise, the boys are in different building, across the sports field and they come to school at a (way) later time than the girls. Hence, intra-school.
So. I was debating against this guy named Aadil who is a grade below me, assistant head boy, and pretty good-looking. He was good too. And together we won the Best Debating Team award which is practically the first prize in the competition. Overall, first prize. Needless to say I was, and am, pretty damn psyched. Especially since so many people told me I did a great job.
The topic was: Should Cosmetic Surgery Be Banned? and I was against it. And the best part? I'm actually for the motion and Aadil is for it. We had our own mini-debate while getting refreshments on our true stances. That debate didnt come to any conclusion because one of his pals told him to shut up. Eh. I had a marvellous time.

The foul C-word

2010-11-21T14:40:00.000-06:00

Polar bear's Fluffy has cancer. And I'm sorry I'm only there for her through cyberspace.

A little bit of Introspection, with a capital I

2010-11-16T12:28:00.001-06:00

*the post about 13th November 2010 will be up later. when i'm feeling less lazy*

So. Introspection is nasty word. Makes you realise things about you you wish you had never known. Like today for example. A friend posted on my wall one of those 'Pick Who' questions (Facebook app). Thing I got picked for: A friend who loves to read. I also sometimes get picked for 'A friend who loves chocolate'.
Don't get me wrong, I do love reading. I am a voracious reader. And I'm also a part-time chocoholic. At least when I'm not avoiding a migraine.
So while I dont resent those tags, I do resent those tags being my identity. It seems as if all people know me for is my reading and eating chocolates. It is true that I'm almost never seen without a book. And when out eating, I lean towards desserts and drinks with chocolate. More the chocolate, the happier I am.
But that's not all I love. I love animals, I love the English language, I love asking questions, I love playing Monopoly... there's a lot of things I love. So why peg me down for just those two?
It's turning into an identity I find I'm not comfortable with. And if I love those two things so much, why am I uncomfortable with it?

Also, I just found out I don't have a theme song :(

What Accounts teaches you about the human behaviour

2010-11-08T12:56:00.000-06:00

1. Accounting Factor: Hidden adjustments
What it says about Behaviour: You cannot take anything at face value. There is always some or the other hidden agenda that will change the overall outcome, sometimes significantly.

2. Accounting Factor: Every adjustment has a dual effect
What it says about Behaviour: The same thing will happen again. The 'thing' could be anything.

3. Accounting Factor: In the balance sheet, the total of the liabilities equals the total of the assets
What it says about Behaviour: At the end of the day, the good and the bad have equal footing. You just have to decide which is more important. The whole glass-half-full-half-empty thingamajig.

4. Accounting Factor: There are different methods of getting at an answer but they mostly all give you the same results.
What it says about Behaviour: No matter what you say or do to justify an action, the outcome is still the same.

*I'm sure there are more. Check back for updates.*

It's time to grow up.

2010-10-27T12:44:00.000-05:00

I don't really know how I feel about growing up. I've grown to the max (unfortunately) heightwise, but I still have a lot more of growing up to do when it comes to what's inside my head.
This bout of reflection was brought on by (bleargh) college hunting. And I've had it coming; I've been doing a lot of thinking and sooner or later, this topic had to spring from the woodworks. And I actually like the growing up part. Except, that there's so much that I feel overwhelmed and end up doing nothing at all. So much for excitement.
But it's time to square my shoulders, straighten my back, and correct my posture.

10.10.10

2010-10-10T14:43:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday To Me!
Cut the cake (two actually) at 10 minutes past 10am.
Went on a treasure hunt to retrieve 10 gifts.
I would've had 10 guests but I was one short :/

PS: I would've posted this earlier but I couldnt. So it's really posted on 14.10.10 rather than 10.10.10

10 Days To 10.10.10

2010-09-30T13:22:00.000-05:00

And my birthday too. Happy, excited? On some level, yes. Otherwise, not really, no. What's the point of having an epic birthday if you can't enjoy it in an epic way?

I love you... Or do I?

2010-09-15T10:37:00.001-05:00

So there's a girl fighting against her parents for the guy she loves and isnt even 100% sure it's worth it. Also, the guy is a year junior. A year later, she'll be in college and he'll be a high school senior.
There's another girl who has a we-dont-hide-anything-from-each-other relationship with her sister and she hasnt told her sister that she has a boyfriend although the sister suspects something. There is also a chance that they may not end up together.
Yet another girl whose parents know she's in a relationship - a serious one at that. The love is mutual but sometimes she feels she's lost her freedom.
And they are all high school seniors.
So my question is, is any relationship worth all the heartbreak thats bound to take place?
Okay, let me rephrase that - is any serious relationship, at school, worth all the heartbreak? Isn't better to just have a casual one?
Sometimes these relationships end so badly, they end up tainting the image of the opposite side for a long while. One girl I know is convinced that all guys are assholes and that they'll all get over you in seconds. And I know that's not true.
It's when I look at Poofy and Moody that I think that maybe it is worth it. But then I look at all the other couples, past and present, I know and think why couldn't they have lasted? But then again you hear of all those other couples who've survived, and are still surviving, the raging teen hormones (read Wilayat and Hamidi though I dont really know much about that relationship. Just that it's freakishly serious - to me anyway).
I had a friend tell me that "give all relationships a chance to grow, be it with anyone." Yeah Wanderer, I'm talking about you. I know (okay, I hope) he doesnt mean the lets-get-married-and-have-kids kind of grow but girls tend to get more attached than the boys do. I don't know why, but that really galls me. Mind you, I'm still talking about high school here. Yes, there are the exceptions, there always are, but I'm talking generally here. I'm talking about what I've mostly seen.
So I'd like to hear otherwise.

PS: Happy Birthday Basu!

College Search

2010-09-03T13:47:00.000-05:00

I'm supposed to be looking up colleges and shortlist some. I can't really get myself to shorten it down from 25. And even those 25 have been "shortlisted" courtesy CollegeBoard. And I'm writing the SAT in a month. How much more screwed - sorry, messed - am I?

Man vs. Woman II

2010-08-30T04:04:00.000-05:00

Last night I was thinking of what I wrote and realised I'd gone off on the wrong side of the tangent. I'm not one to take back what I say and it's not as if what I wrote was wrong (from my view point). I just didn't mention what I'll be mentioning here.

The reason why I think it's (and I stand corrected here) mostly the girls who need the...warrior beside them is because they're unsure of themselves. And because it's probably in their nature to take things in their stride so they don't really fight the demons in their world and hence it's the other person around who does all the sword-jabbing and fist-talking. They live by the mantra "It was meant to happen (to me) so it did and there's no use fighting it".
Har har.
My mum was watching a soap opera on tv the other day and I entered the room when the following scene was taking place (on screen):
There's a pretty, well-dressed young lady standing next to a harassed looking woman and talking to a congregation of women standing around them. There were also a few men, in the background. And the pretty lady was addressing the crowd around her. On domestic violence. In a gist, this is what she said,
"A woman doesn't stand up for herself when she is abused at home because she is worried about how society will perceive her family if word got out. She takes all and every kind of torture, verbal or physical, and endures it ceaselessly till the end, either of her life or her stay in that house. And she does it all simply because she wants to keep up whatever good opinion the society has of the family she is associated with. If a woman, who is subjected to this kind of abuse, stands up for herself or even tries to, she's put down. The sad part is, she's put down not only by the (dominant) men but also by the women around her. Generally speaking, if one woman is enduring in silencing, everyone should. They cant speak up for themselves even if they want to simply because they are women and are supposed to endure in silence. But instead of just taking everything in our stride, if we stand up for ourselves, or support those who do, then no one would persecute us."

I guess my real issue is, why don't women stand up for what they want and believe in and for what they know to be right? Yes, you do have those strong women who rise against the odds against all and every adversities. But those are far and few between. We're still the weaker sex, despite whatever the feminists say about being able to do whatever men can do and in high heels.

Man vs. Woman

2010-08-29T09:27:00.002-05:00

Over the weekend, I went to watch the movie Lafangey Parindey (yeah, I liked it). Watch, not see and it got me thinking. Why is it always the guy who takes the brunt of the relationship?
If, for example, the girl has issues with an ex-boyfriend, it's always the current one who becomes the knight in shining armour.
If the girl has money troubles, her "guy" bails her out.
If she needs a "shoulder to cry on", he's there for her.
If she finds out about something "dark in his past" she slaps him and goes "You betrayed me, our love. How could you? I trusted you, more than anyone else in my entire life" and so on.
It's always the guy reassuring her that she can do it (whatever it is).
And other some-such tragic tales.
What about the other way around, eh? Why don't we ever get to hear stories of the damsel in a shining armour? It would be nice to know that the ladies are not just the fairer and weaker damsels in distress. Sure, there's the whole "women can do anything men can, in high heels too" but really, when it comes to the basics, does that even hold true? And if it does, why don't people hear of it? Why aren't there stories, songs, movies, et all about it?
Or is it just that I dont get to hear about it?

The Week

2010-08-15T16:00:00.000-05:00

I'm back from spending a week at Muscat and came back with the realisation that I did nothing I really wanted to do and spent too little time with everyone I wanted to. Fail. But I did enjoy whatever time I had there. I met some new people and I relished that experience. I've always loved meeting new people.
You know how they say that whatever happens, happens for a reason? I always wondered what good my moving away to another country would do me. And I then when I looked back on this trip, I saw who really mattered to me and who didn't matter so much and who I didn't care if I saw ever again. Okay that was a little harsh, the last bit. What I meant was, those are the friends who I'm not going to break my heart over, for any reason. And with that realisation came a little bit of sadness because the friends who fall in the last category are ones with whom I had quite a lot of fun with. The crazy, silly, roller-coaster fun. And those are also the ones who never fail to make me laugh.
You win some, you lose some. I lost a couple of opportunities to do what I impulsively wanted to do. Not that that is anything new; I'm almost always repressing my impulses which may not be such a good idea. I'm never going to know though, because I never acted on those impulses.
And I have also come to the realisation that I'm a bit of a hypocrite.

I got a Pocketful of Sunshine

2010-07-11T17:26:00.000-05:00

Spain won the 2010 FIFA World Cup and I couldn't be happier. I'm ecstatic to the point of exultation. Pure, unadulterated happiness. When Andres Iniesta scored that goal (great pass Torres) I yelped. First time I've done so, the entire world cup. And I've been supporting Spain the entire time. Germany too, till they played Spain.

I think for the rest of the day, I'm going to be singing Pocketful Of Sunshine (Natasha Bedingfield), Tubthumping (Chumbawamba), Un Dos Tres (Ricky Martin) and other such happy songs.

Spain Won!!!! :D :D :D
Oh, just to add a bit of girl to this: I found Pique to be quite attractive. And Alonso.

I believe, I do.

2010-06-09T08:28:00.000-05:00

Now I believe: what you want, with all your heart and soul, you get. It may take some time but you do get it. And not by persistent asking. Neither by the "power of thinking" as Rhonda Byrne (author of The Secret) puts it. You get it simply by wanting it that bad. "If you dont want it bad enough to risk losing it, you dont want it bad enough." I always thought it some old tosh by some old (well not necessarily old) tosh people. But now I believe, well and truly.
Two reasons, rather two thingamajigs: an Apple iPod Touch and a Sheffear pen of mine that I'd lost (but its not the same one).

First, The Touch (as I call it). Ever since it's advent, I've always wanted an iPod. And it had to be Apple. But my dad never bought me one for reasons best known to him. And later, as my friends acquired it, I started disliking the clickwheel of the Pod. I still liked the item, but when the Touch came, I fell in love with it. But I knew I'd never get one so I never asked for it. But not soon after we moved to Abu Dhabi, I had to use my mom's iPhone since that was the only portable music player in the house. It came to a point that my dad got irratated, my using that phone so much. So, when he heard my mum complain (in a joking way) one too many times, he ordered, yes ordered, I get my own iPod. Thus I acquired the Apple iPod Touch.

Second, my sheaffer. I have a certain bad luck when it comes to my ink pens and watches. In case of the pens, it's always the nib that kills my pen. But, for the first time, my latest Sheaffer acquisition went missing. It got lost one Thursday in school and I never found it again. And I searched. I love all my ink pens and feel very sad whenever anything happens to any of them. This particular Thursday I had more reason to feel sad but thats not important here. I'd given up on ever seeing that beloved pen again. Ever. Again, Abu Dhabi to the rescue. My dad's brother is here visiting us (he came for business but is staying a couple of days extra for and with us). He has the exact same pen that I'd lost. THE.VERY.SAME. He heard how I lost my pen and promptly told me to keep his. And so it's mine - again.

I'm feeling very elated. Sure, there are a lot of holes in the opening paragraph but hey, I'm a believer. Kill the message if you will (please don't) but don't kill the messenger. It's mine now, that Sheaffer. I simply couldn't be happier. And I do have to stop using the italics. I'm much too liberal with it.

But who cares? I'm happy :D :D :D There's the mini cherry on top of the regular cherry on top of the sundae of awesomeness that is my life.

Culture updates

2010-06-06T10:13:00.000-05:00

Currently Playing: Karthik Calling Karthik - Uff Teri Adaa
This song has grown on me. This one, and Aye Khuda from the movie Paathshala. The former for the beats and the latter for the lyrics.
I just finished reading Minaret by Leila Aboulela. It's about an upper-class Sudanese girl and how her life gets transformed after her father is killed following a coup to topple the Presidency. And the transformation is a stark one. The book didnt touch any deep chords within me but one thing I realised about the book was that there's a lot more to religion than just reciting prayers and following certain protocols and practices. Yes, I've heard from family elders (one, to be precise) on how it is our custom to pray and follow the religious practices. I'm not a religious person neither am I an atheist. I'm, indifferent. That's the most honest way I can describe my relationship with religion - any religion. But this book made me think that maybe I'm missing out on something by not being religious. It made me think that faith is something we are all born with but we lose it almost as soon as we start growing up - almost as soon as we're left to think for ourselves. I'm not saying we think wrong, but then again, are we right?
These kind of questions have their answers in just one word: perspective. But that still leaves room, a lot of room, for thought. And these thoughts disturb me.

Smelly Cat

2010-05-25T04:47:00.000-05:00

Well, I dont really think it's all thay smelly but hey, the song is nice!
Anyway, I have four cats in my garden right now. One mommy cat, a very handsome black and white mix with very green eyes. Three kittens - two of them as black as ebony and one is a carbon copy of it's mother, although I havent seen it's eyes.
On the recommendation of Pai, I put out a bowl of milk with soaked bread and for good measure, an extra slice of bread. Just in case. I went out to put it before them and the lady cat hissed at me! She stared hard at me, all the while hissing like a snake. Honestly, if I hadnt seen her open her mouth, I'd really have believed that there was a snake in the garden. Well, no not really since I know the difference between cat-hissing and snake-hissing. But this was very much like snake-hissing.
Maybe I look too scary. But I retreated swiftly and have been on the lookout ever since. Lady Cat has not let the kittens even a foot near the food. Nor has she gone herself. Honestly Lady, it's not poisoned!
Hmphf.

Crossroads

2010-05-21T07:50:00.002-05:00

I've taken as much as I can
its all getting too much.
I want to slow down but,
now is not the time;
it probably never will be, if it can't be now.
I seem to be living my own life but the terms are not mine.
The board is set, the pieces moving and the rules keep changing.
The scenery is too fine,
paths to tread are legion yet the choice for now is not mine.
I want to put away this pressure, breathe the free air

I want...again.

2010-05-04T14:43:00.001-05:00

I want my troupe; the comfort they offer, the security of their presence, the lightness of their company, the feeling of them being There.

It's people like these

2010-05-02T11:06:00.000-05:00

So I was YouTubing a few African dance videos for a (new) school show. And I saw, rather read, why there's still a long way to go before we can call each other fellow human beings. This is how the comments run:-

Person 1.
i like how EVERYONE JUST loves African dance. its is very healing and the drum is very saCRED. SO HOW IS ANYONE WHO DOESNT STUDY FOR ALLLLLOOOOTTTT OF YEARS GET TO JUMP UP AND TEACH. people are being disrespectful beyond words and got the nerve to call people racist when they defend their culture!!!! I dont wanna c white people performing or teaching african dance. its not racist its respect. shit even i respect my teachers enough to not teach till im am reallllyyy ready

Person 2.
A drum is as sacred as a cup of tea. It depends on the person who thinks it is sacred.
I am not a teacher. Some people actually dance for fun, you know not for religion or whatever.
I think I am pretty normal in that regard. I pick in cultures what I like, and leave what I dislike or is of no interest.
That's how culture changes, evolves, adapts
No disrespect to you. For me a drum is like a cello or turntables : it's a musical instrument

Person 1.
u are so confused!!!
u have no respect!!!
the drum is very very sacred and for you to speak of it as such means u are just ignorant beyond words. if you are one of the teachers then u really need to be more humble. The dance you are doing is a part of a culture. The origin is very significant...not to be disregarded!!!!! who the h do you think you are? u represent just the haughty attitude that i speak of!!!

I didnt like what I read. It's a dance form. Every dance is part of some or the other culture. And every dance form has a significance. I mean the serious dance forms. I'm sure the drum is sacred but just because other cultures dont feel so, it doesnt make them ignorant. Why are people such fanatics?

It's time

2010-03-26T12:50:00.002-06:00

Tonight, I leave Muscat for Abu Dhabi. After a 14 year long relationship with this city, I'm breaking up with it for a city with more opportunities, restaurants and no friends.
Beginning Wednesday evening, my friends and I had the most epic times. Wednesday evening was spent at OBC and Hakkawati from where we walked all the way to Suraj's where half the night was spent getting buzzed. The other half of the night was spent at Kattoor's, wearing off the buzz.

Wake up in the morning feeling like Winehouse (parody of TiK ToK by the Midnight Beasts) and then go for lunch at D'Arcy's Kitchen with Lakshay, Pai, Suraj and Sushain. We then cabbed it to Pai's where Sabari joined us. Got buzzed and then went to Shatti. Shatti was... something else. Then we walked along the Qurum beach road and went to Starbucks. And that's where the full magnitude of why I was where, and with whom, I was hit me. Lakshay, Pai, Suraj, Sushain and I were at Starbucks and I was waiting with Pai for her drink to arrive. For some reason I turn towards the door and I see Maans, Dhruv, Ryan, Sabari and Arya stride in. I was confused and Ryan kept saying 'what a coincedence'. Dhruv then propels me towards the cash counter, and other people come pouring into the cafe, with Dhruv insisting I pay for everyone's drinks and food. I protest but Arya forces me to face the cashier. At first, I didnt register why the cashier was handing me a small Centrepoint bag and a big gift-wrapped roll of what later turned out to be a canvas collage.

receiving collage

said collage

Then, it struck me. Annie, Joker, Arya, Maanas, Dhruv, Anuj, Ashna, Maddy, Krushika, Sabari, Sushain, Suraj, Lakshay, Pai and I dont know how many others, engineered this spectacular surprise for me. Later we were joined by Manish, Sanjana and Sanjeev. And more than the gifts I got, it was the fact that they all were THERE. Nilesh called.
Joker and Annie were the first to leave. And when I hugged Joker bye, she cried. That got me crying again (I'd teared up before too and I'd tried very hard to keep it all back). She's one of the most awesome girls I've ever met. And she doesn't even have to try.
Best part? My mom was in onto all of this. She knew they were going to surprise. She is the Biggest Schemer of everyone. But it was great, that one hour, hour and a half with almost everyone at Starbucks.

The "party" had to break up early because I was spending the night at Pai's and we had to leave. Got the guys to come with us; they too spent the night at Pai's. The guys being Lakshay, Ryan, Sabari, Suraj and Sushain. Manish came with us too but he didnt spend the night. Idiot. And the night was F.U.N. Some pictures from the night:

dancing to "masakali"

After breakfast the next morning we all went home. Later in the afternoon, Ryan, Sruti, Talal and Zen came to see me and left a little later. Then Sabari and Pai came home. Then Moody. Moody drove Pai, Sabari and me to yet another family friends' house where we stayed till we had to leave for the airport. Sabari, Pai and I excused ourselves to go out for dinner at McDonald's where we were joined by Lakshay and Arya. Arya left before we went to the airport. Pai left almost as soon as we got to the airport. At the airport I was met by Anuj, Ryan, Suraj and Sushain.

It wasnt really a goodbye. It was more like a oh-I'll-see-you-again-in-a-few-months kind of thing. That was it. And that was all. So here I am, for the last time in the Seeb International Airport Lounge. Nice of them to have chocolate mousse :D

The Fish Song

2010-03-18T04:10:00.001-06:00

I was at Soundarya's house yesterday. Kind of like a "class-girls meet to say bye to Chikki" but without all the teary byes.
While there, Karishma and I came up with a song titled The Fish Song. It is one of the silliest songs EVER but I still like it :) Karishma is on the guitar and I sing.

The Fish Song

(Karishma's signature tune)
1 2 3 go...
There are two kinds of fish in the world

1 2 3 go...
One is mean and the other's mean curry

1 2 3 go...
All that they do is swim all day
But one is the eater and the other gets
eaten!

1 2 3 go...
There are two kinds of fish in the world

1 2 3 go...
One is me and the other's not
Youuuu...

(Karishma's signature tune)
***

And that is the end of the song. Its silly, nonsensical and definitely not even remotely musical but it's beautiful.

Daddy's home.

2010-02-28T14:42:00.000-06:00

It's been ages since I wrote. And I missed writing. Typing, actually.
Anyway, I will be shifting to Abu Dhabi in approximately a month's time. Joy. I feel a little indifferent about it all. Perhaps it hasnt really sunk in yet. Oh well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, I'm right here in Muscat and that is what I will focus on.
I do have exams going on so I WILL have to focus.

There's this song that is on a perpetual loop in my head. Chris de Burgh's Lady In Red. A beautiful song. It even inspired me to write a piece based on it. Of course, I havent finished it yet otherwise it would be up here. No, I've just been procrastinating. And I dont quite know why. But the song is very good.

I watched the movie Definitely, Maybe today. Well, I finished watching it around half an hour back. And I liked it. The movie, I mean. It's funny, my liking that movie. It's basically about love and I'm not entirely into the whole love business. Oh but the dialogues of Rachel Weiz and the Hampton fellow were brilliant! Really.

V-day Time!

2010-02-14T13:34:00.000-06:00

Could I be anymore excited?
It's nice getting gifts and all, but I still think this day is over-rated.
Oh well.
Happy Valentine's Day anyway.
Have fun everyone.

*I have a lot more to post about but I just cant seem to be able to*

Beer.Lipstick.Feet

2010-01-25T12:56:00.001-06:00

There was once an ogre who lived in a brewery. His existence did not go unnoticed as every night he used to have a vat of beer. But this was acceptable to the workers as they did not have to employ a night guard. They left him alone, and he left them to their devices. But the real reason the ogre lived there was because there were no women in and around that factory and the reason he was terrified of the female race was because his feet were fatally allergic to the lipstick used by women. And it is very rare to find a woman, especially the young ones, without a tube of the coloured, gooey substance. It had taken him years to find such a comfortable and hazard-free place. He was happy.

But, his peace of mind was to be shortlived. A lady supervisor came to the factory to go over some technicalities. Being a woman, and a little conscious of her looks, she frequently took "touch-up" breaks. During one such break, she dropped her lipstick which left a sizeable patch on the floor. The woman ignored it and went about her business.

Night came and the ogre was on his night stroll, having consumed half a vat of the beet and feeling strangley uncomfortable. To overcome his quesiness he decided to go to a different part of the factory. Alas for him, the path he decided to take led him straight to the still-present patch of lipstick. He stepped on it and did not realise his error until it was too late.

His death was mourned by the workers but not for long because not long after, another ogre came. But that is another story.

*ok yes, this is stupid.*

2010-01-14T15:10:00.000-06:00

I want it to rain again. Clouds make me happy.
I've again reached a point where I find it slightly hard to write. I start, and then if I'm interrupted, I lose the flow. That isnt good. Flaw number 1. Flaw number two: I cant seem to be able to write on just about anything. I can, but with some effort.
Yes, I know that everything requires some effort but usually, when I write, it just flows. Other times I have to really rack my head.
I'm trying my hand at rhyming and I'm very sorry to say that my vocabulary isnt not very helpful. Either I dont know words, or I cant remember them.

*sigh* I was watching Princess Diaries on tv the other day. I really liked this line: I wondered how I would feel after abdicating my throne as princess of Genovia, would I feel happy? Would I feel sad? And then I realized, how many stupid times a day I say the word 'I'.

Yeah, that is me. I say 'I' too much. Time to change.
I also need to have some fun.

Hello 2010

2010-01-01T13:02:00.000-06:00

So, it's finally a new year. And '09 went by faster than I thought. And it wasnt because I was having fun. Time to review :)
It was a mixed year. A lot of things important to me went wrong. A lot of things important to me went right. It's what I'd like to call a perfect balance except the balance never balanced.

This past year was fun and I changed a lot as a person. I gained new strengths and did new things. I got my hair coloured (red, though its not very prominent). I was acquainted with Death (Death doesnt wear black and like the fact that It is portrayed as a skeleton). I learnt to cook (well, just one item , really). I fought, and won, for what I wanted (just a few times).

I grew as a person too. It wouldnt be very nice if I elaborated on this one since I would be just showing off. And really, I shouldn't be showing off too much. It'll intimidate too many people ;)

But I wish things had gone right for the world. Like the Copenhagen Summit. And the Dubai Credit Crisis. It's not as though you can completely blame the politicians and the world leaders. Because really, it's the people who give them the power that they have. It would be nice if people cared a tad bit more.

To end: Happy New Year everyone. Have fun, do what you need, and want, to. Make mistakes :D

PS: Happy Birthday Bittu

Nicco Park!

2009-12-24T12:09:00.000-06:00

I'm in Kolkata, my most favourite city. And my masi and mausaji took me to Nicco Park. According to me, its a couple haven. I hardly saw kids. Dont get me wrong, there were quite a few kids. But not as many as you would expect in a Park. But couples, there were LOADS!
I was playing babysitter to my cousin Noni and his cousin Nikku. And the role was right up my aisle. I'm awesome with kids. Even with kids who meet me for the first time.
After Nicco Park, my mama came and picked me up and took me out with a couple of his friends. Karo and Mukul. Later, we were joined by Karo's boyfriend, Vishnu (I think). I had an awesome time eating chaats. We first had Pucchka at Northern Park. Then, we went to Piccadilly to eat bhel puri and batata puri. The only thing that was missing was my daily dose of max orange (it's the only ice cream I have when in India).
The day was ending on a very good note. And then I realise I've lost my wallet. At least, I cant find it - yet. I hope I find it soon. It has dawned on me that I feel slightly lost without it. Even though I dont carry it around with me.

Finally!

2009-12-12T03:10:00.001-06:00

And so it rained, finally, last night. Since I had a math exam today, I was very diligently (yeah right!) practising sums when the sky decides its time to clean the earth. I threw down my books (I apologised later. They understood) and ran out to the balcony.

Yes, it is with great regret that I announce I didn’t run out on the street. If I had, I would’ve been subjected to a rather lengthy you-have-your-exams-you-shouldn't-go-out-in-the-rain talk.

So anyway, I contented myself with head-banging, jumping, dancing and singing in my balcony. And I was happy. Happier than I’ve been in a while. And yes, the sun is out now. But next time I see the clouds, I’ll smile and say hello. Because I’m no longer mad at the sky :)

Ok so...

2009-11-29T14:29:00.000-06:00

Happy 16th Ishita.
I was watching Bridge To Terabithia today, and the character of Leslie reminded me of you. I was Jess and you were Leslie. I go off for a bit and return to find you gone. Well ok, in this case you go off for a bit but, that's not the point here. I mean, you move out, and then you go *poof*. That wasn't nice :(
I still wear that bracelet you gave me for my 10th birthday. I havent taken it off since I found out abt you. I guess it's my way of staying close to you. Of keeping you alive.
No, I'm not gonna cry again.

On a lighter note, I like the weather now. It was very cloudy today. Tomorrow, hopefully, it will be more cloudy. And then it'll rain. And then I'll cry. Or maybe I'll save the crying for later and just play hopscotch.

Green Day

2009-11-19T13:30:00.004-06:00

GREEN HOUSE WON THE COCK HOUSE AS WELL AS THE ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The four houses, Student Council and School Band

The first, sudden, Victory Lap

The abrupt halt of, and congregation after, the first Victory Lap

Nilesh with the Trophy, leading the actual Victory Lap

Celebrations

Waving the flag

The coveted Cock House Trophy

Kissing the Trophy :)

I ran the Victory Lap both times. And it was awesome. And I am proud that the 100th post of my blog is dedicated to the House I belong to. Yes, its a very Green Day. It's time to Go Green!

Hehe

Oman vs. Brazil

2009-11-18T07:11:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, Oman played a friendly match against Brazil. And I went to see the match. I saw Kaka live :D
Although Brazil scored within the first few minutes, Oman put up a decent fight with some amazing saves by the Oman goal-keeper, Ali Al Habsi. The match in itself was boring to watch, but overall, I had fun. Sure, I couldnt get to sit with my usual crowd but it didnt make that much of a difference. Not that I would know, but I dont think so anyway.

Oman Team

Brazil Team (the one in yellow)

After Brazil scored the first goal

Kaka being awarded the Man of the Match award (sorry, the zoom on my camera sucks)

After the match, we all moved to Dhruv's house to eat. From there, Arya, Lakshay, Ryan, Sabari, Suraj and I went to Hardees which is walking distance from Dhruv's. And we had fun. Just the 6 of us. All of us tired, not wanting to go to school and hungry; nonetheless, we enjoyed at Hardees.

Came back home, exhausted. Went to school half exhausted.

Lakshay and Suraj

Suraj and Sabari

Ryan

Suraj and Arya

(I just noticed Suraj's there in 3 out of 4 pics)

Tomorrow is our Sports Day. Only the 6th and 9th grades are doing drills. Apart from the athletic events, we have the March Past. And I sincerely hope Green House (the house I belong to) wins March Past because if we win March Past, we win the Cock House Trophy (yes, it IS called the Cock House Trophy). This year had been good for athletics wise and I hope it shows tomorrow.

PS: Happy National Day Oman!

Art and Beach

2009-11-13T00:36:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, a couple of friends and I decided to make an evening out of what would have been an exchange of a ticket between the two of them. Roshan is taking part in an Art Competition where he is required to draw/sketch/paint... a portrait of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said. So Vishak and I decided to go see his work, eat at McDonald's, go to the beach and spend some time and then get back.
Which is what we did. The weather was awesome. The sand was cold! And the conversation was good.
A good day. Or, evening rather.

Roshan, sketching

What the portrait looks like

School

2009-11-09T06:33:00.010-06:00

March-past practice has finally begun. We have our Sports Day (the closest thing to Sports Day anyway, due to Swiney) on the 19th. Yeah, too close for comfort mais mieux vaut tard que jamais.

We have a new kid on the block. And he's nice. Well, he's not exactly new but I was only recently acquainted with him and I like what I know.

Class picnic was on this past Friday and it was a lot of fun. No exaggeration. Three classes went together: XI F (my class), XI H and XII F.

Before that, Culturals was on Wednesday. And I dressed up more for that than I do for dandiya. And that is saying something. Culturals was great fun too. Highlights include the dance by the Bobs, Sabari and Venky's impromptu performance on I Know You Want Me, the songs by Ace Of Spades (Wali, Joshua, Sheldon and Devansh) and Nixon's solo.

Achieving the "girl" look

Sushain, Zen, Kushal and Anuj

Nixon

Sabari and Venky

The Bobs

Suraj, Rohan and Clinton

Nothing else is new on the block. SSDD. Well, pretty much.

RIP Ishita. I love you.

2009-10-29T05:11:00.001-06:00

I didnt know about what happened to you. I wish I couldve spoken to you. My only regret in our friendship is that we were in two different continents. You know I love you. You know I miss you. I'm only sorry I didnt stay in better touch.
I remember you telling me you had a tumor. But then you'd also said you were getting better. Why didnt you keep your word? You always did.

Have fun wherever you are. And remember youve broken my heart.

Spaced Out

2009-10-20T12:05:00.001-05:00

This is rather long. I've taken ideas from Isaac Asimov's Nemesis. This is my first complete attempt at a short story. And it is also my first sci-fi. Written at the request of a friend, Sahil.

9.30 am

The photograph showed a family of four sitting in the shade of a huge tree in a park. The background consisted of a commanding line of buildings. Birds flew overhead and there were more trees that formed the backdrop.
Rhea put down the 60 year old photo. Looking out the window at the tree-less horizon, she sighed and remembered thee day the announcement had been made. The event made headlines for a week - the people of Earth were to be rehabilitated.
She carried in her bag only what were the bare necessities - toileteries, computer, a few photographs and single change of clothes. The new artificial satellite that the people were being sent to was ready to accomodate and cater to approximately a 1000 people - at any given time. Many had chosen to stay back and face whatever consequences the Earth came to. Legions didn't believe in the proposition and felt it would simply fail.
Rhea was the head of the project - the second head. The previous had retired and left Rhea in charge of seeing the project move from the drawing board to the launch pad.
Today was D-Day. Rhea had to go to the lab and tweak the design, to ensure that the transportation of the people went off without a glitch. To ensure that the systems of the satellite were in synchronisation with the command base on Earth.
*******
Half an hour later, she sat in her office reviewing the reports. Everything was in order. If they wanted, the people could be moved that very day. She sat back and reflected on the situation. The crowd was getting restless. They were ready to move. The government was not in a position to run the settlement camps for long. Perhaps they should be moved that evening.
After working out the complications and completing the necessary paperwork, Rhea had her secretary inform the settlement camps about their departure.
*******
5 pm

The people were boarding. Rhea stood on the dias near the shuttle. It would be a little more than 3 days before these people set foot on solid ground again. This was their last few minutes on the home they had known all their lives and everyone seemed eager to leave behind all that was familiar to chase the flightly temptress, Adventure. Even if it took them 385,000 km away from home. Everything was in place.
She looked over at one of her collegeaues, Dr. Ray Ban. The dynamics of the satellite were all his own work. No one knew them better than he did - or so everyone believed. Rhea was proud of herself. She had been called a sadist when she was younger but she knew that what she did was for the greater good.
Dr. Ray caught her eye and gave her a slight nod.
She was ready.
*******

Two days later...

Rhea was in the control room with her entire team - including Dr. Ray. The techinicians were poring over the control panel and timely updates were being received from the airbourne shuttle.
She was getting impatient. Looking at her watch, she decided it was time for some action.
"Alright everyone, time for a coffee break. I want everyone out of here and to get themselves refreshed. We have a gruelling time ahead of us. Be back in half an hour. Not a minute later. I will be here."
She was known as a hard boss but she was nice when there wasnt any serious work to be done. So whenever she said something, people listened. And acted on it.
Rhea waited a few minutes to make sure no one was around before she went over to the controls herself and adjusted a couple of them. Even Dr. Ray would never know the difference. The last report from the shuttle had come in five minutes and another was not due for at least half an hour. That was sufficient time for the oxygen levels to drop, not be noticed and create havoc. But havoc that couldnt be traced back to the Control Room - to Rhea. And no one would realise what had gone wrong until it was too late.
Giving herself a satisfied smile, she went to her desk, wrote a 'Be Right Back' note and left on the radar screen for anyone came into the room while she was gone.
She got herself a much-required coffee and toasted her success at the elimination of at least half the people on board. In this way, she could get away with ridding the earth of a sizeable amount of people. Enough to make a change. At least this way, the artificial satellite, which will eventually be abandoned as a haven, and never know the horrors of human habitation.

I feel...

2009-10-13T06:29:00.000-05:00

... tired.
... a little lost.
... like doing something wild.
... like a good conversation.
... a little proud of myself ( I ran 200m without practise and came third)
... bored.
... hungry for a day out.
... slightly lonely.
... as if I'm becoming a different person everyday.

To Me

2009-10-09T15:11:00.000-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

:D

Party! Ice-cream Party!

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
hahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Will and Wont

2009-10-04T12:32:00.001-05:00

I'm not going to let myself
by hurt this time.
I'm not going to think of
what went wrong.
I'm not going to ponder
over those moments spent with you.
I will not make the mistakes
I had made before.
I will not let this grief consume
me.
I will not break from within,
I will smile, be happy for life
is still pretty.

PS: Happy Birthday Suraj!

Trying to be from Ohio

2009-10-03T14:54:00.003-05:00

I want to cry this pain
out.
I want to scream myself
hoarse.
I need someone to hold me
tight, while I
allow this ache to coarse through
me.
I need to be reassured from
within.
I have to replenish my
faith.
My hopes have been dashed.
My will has been shattered.
My soul feels beaten.
I just want to cry it all out.
But I'm forced to
stay strong.

PS: Happy Birthday Troyes!

Going Back

2009-10-02T13:45:00.000-05:00

I'm back on the road I had thought
that I'd left behind for a while.
So I walk down it again,
a little older,
a little wiser.
I'm sick of getting hurt,
I'm tired of this routine.
I want to feel happy again,
I need to be myself again.
This time round, I'm not going to
think about it.
I will not let me be saddened.
Nothing I can do but go back to
how I wanted to be
before this happened.

This has got to be one of the worst poems I've written. But I guess it'll have to do till I can write something better.

Finally!

2009-09-25T08:09:00.003-05:00

So I finally had dandiya night. No, not at my house. I went to the Majan Hotel. A few friends were going so I hitched up with them. Just one other friend of mine came along with me. And yes, it was fun. Sure, it wasn't Marlboro, but it was definitely the next best thing.

For the first time

2009-09-21T18:40:00.003-05:00

I am at an all-girl sleepover. It's just Arya, Sruti and me. Those two are asleep (little idiots). We watched Mamma Mia, and I must say, I liked that movie. Especially the songs. Especially the title track, Super Trouper and one other called Winner Takes All. General consensus says I resemble Rosie the most. We also baked a delicious chocolate cake. But the battar was better. No kidding. I was half tempted to drink up the entire thing, but like a nice person, I didnt :)
We also played dress up. It lasted for around 10-15 minutes. It's been a while since I played dress up. I've dressed up as Krishna, a devil (complete with horns and a staff), Umrao Jaan (well, I tried!), a "ghost" with a lantern and other personas I dont remember. It was fun, dressing up.
And after the kind of evening I had, I needed this sleepover. It's not something I've done before. Oh, don't get me wrong, I have had and been to sleepovers before. But it was always a two-person thing; me and the host or the guest and me. Never more than a duo. And it turns out that while two's company, three is merrier :D
And hat's off to me for I have achieved the one-month milestone (I've never achieved that before, thus the mention).

Dandiya, HIMYM and Robbie Williams

2009-09-20T03:06:00.003-05:00

Dandiya, on the Marlboro Grounds, has been cancelled due to swine flu. It is being held at the Majan Hotel too, but it wont be the same. The huge crowds wont be there. And because it's a hotel, you cant be as wild as you want. No screaming yourself hoarse. And it will be cold!
I've decided to host dandiya night at home. Let's see how many people actually turn up.

Tomorrow, the 21st of September, the fifth season of How I Met Your Mother will begin. I cannot wait. I regret to announce I haven't seen the fourth season completely. But I will make amends. Sometime this week.

We have Eid Holidays going on, till the 25th. Sadly, there's not much to do. So far.

I have started listening to Robbie Williams. I like his tracks. Current favourites include Angels, Love Somebody, No Regrets, Misunderstood and She's The One.

Basu, to you.

2009-09-15T08:29:00.002-05:00

I had promised myself that I wouldn't cry when you left. And I didn't. Yeah, i teared up. But I didn't cry.
So, while you're still flying, I'm raising my glass of jack and coke to you. To all the crazy times we had. To all the stupid talks. To all the dancing. To all the buoyanting. To all the veg-nonveg arguments. To all the movie-watching. To all the dog-walking. To everything we shared and did.
I love you Hero.
Happy "Bob"day Basu :)

Important

2009-09-10T08:47:00.002-05:00

Exactly a month and a year from now, will be the MOST important day of my life.
It's an awesome date, 10.10.10